Dr. Alok Kanojia

And usually what happens over time is we will actually acclimatize or build tolerance to the pleasure. So if you look at someone who's struggling with alcohol, the first couple of drinks they have, they're having a blast or maybe they're enjoying it. And then later on, like when you're on drink number eight or drink number nine or drink number 10, it's no longer fun. Right.

So when I have patients that are like carrying fifths of vodka around and like like tucking them away in purses or in drawers at work or things like that, and they're drinking throughout the day, they're not drinking to have a blast. They're drinking to numb certain parts of their brain. And that's what we also see with technology. Right.

So when I have patients that are like carrying fifths of vodka around and like like tucking them away in purses or in drawers at work or things like that, and they're drinking throughout the day, they're not drinking to have a blast. They're drinking to numb certain parts of their brain. And that's what we also see with technology. Right.

So when I have patients that are like carrying fifths of vodka around and like like tucking them away in purses or in drawers at work or things like that, and they're drinking throughout the day, they're not drinking to have a blast. They're drinking to numb certain parts of their brain. And that's what we also see with technology. Right.

So like when you're kind of like when you're stressed out and you go and you like, you know, sit down for a couple of minutes and you pull out your phone and 30 minutes go by. It's not like you're having a blast and laughing and full of pleasure. It kind of numbs out all the stress and all the that you have to deal with.

So like when you're kind of like when you're stressed out and you go and you like, you know, sit down for a couple of minutes and you pull out your phone and 30 minutes go by. It's not like you're having a blast and laughing and full of pleasure. It kind of numbs out all the stress and all the that you have to deal with.

So like when you're kind of like when you're stressed out and you go and you like, you know, sit down for a couple of minutes and you pull out your phone and 30 minutes go by. It's not like you're having a blast and laughing and full of pleasure. It kind of numbs out all the stress and all the that you have to deal with.

And you got to pick this up on the way home and you have to do this for your kids. And then you got to do this and you got to pay your mortgage. You got to answer these emails. So it helps us kind of like mentally numb out. So I think that's one example of like circuits besides dopamine.

And you got to pick this up on the way home and you have to do this for your kids. And then you got to do this and you got to pay your mortgage. You got to answer these emails. So it helps us kind of like mentally numb out. So I think that's one example of like circuits besides dopamine.

And you got to pick this up on the way home and you have to do this for your kids. And then you got to do this and you got to pay your mortgage. You got to answer these emails. So it helps us kind of like mentally numb out. So I think that's one example of like circuits besides dopamine.

But then there's also a lot that we don't understand about like motivation and behavior and how that can come from other parts of our brain in a more sustained way, which is why I like if we get stuck with dopamine, it doesn't really work very well. Just

But then there's also a lot that we don't understand about like motivation and behavior and how that can come from other parts of our brain in a more sustained way, which is why I like if we get stuck with dopamine, it doesn't really work very well. Just

But then there's also a lot that we don't understand about like motivation and behavior and how that can come from other parts of our brain in a more sustained way, which is why I like if we get stuck with dopamine, it doesn't really work very well. Just

Serotonin and dopamine, I almost think about them as like inversely correlated. So the more dopaminergic your brain is, generally speaking, the less serotonergic it is and the vice versa. So let's just run through a couple of examples and what that means. So dopamine, first of all, is the neurotransmitter that governs pleasure, right? So it governs like having fun or pleasure.

Serotonin and dopamine, I almost think about them as like inversely correlated. So the more dopaminergic your brain is, generally speaking, the less serotonergic it is and the vice versa. So let's just run through a couple of examples and what that means. So dopamine, first of all, is the neurotransmitter that governs pleasure, right? So it governs like having fun or pleasure.

Serotonin and dopamine, I almost think about them as like inversely correlated. So the more dopaminergic your brain is, generally speaking, the less serotonergic it is and the vice versa. So let's just run through a couple of examples and what that means. So dopamine, first of all, is the neurotransmitter that governs pleasure, right? So it governs like having fun or pleasure.

Serotonin is a lot more associated with contentment or peace, right? So if we think about like, you know, someone who is suffering from like a mood disorder, like major depressive disorder, and we prescribe them a serotonergic agent, an agent that boosts their serotonin transmission. These are not happy pills. They don't make us happy. They make us less discontent. Right.

Serotonin is a lot more associated with contentment or peace, right? So if we think about like, you know, someone who is suffering from like a mood disorder, like major depressive disorder, and we prescribe them a serotonergic agent, an agent that boosts their serotonin transmission. These are not happy pills. They don't make us happy. They make us less discontent. Right.

Serotonin is a lot more associated with contentment or peace, right? So if we think about like, you know, someone who is suffering from like a mood disorder, like major depressive disorder, and we prescribe them a serotonergic agent, an agent that boosts their serotonin transmission. These are not happy pills. They don't make us happy. They make us less discontent. Right.

So what they kind of do is they take some of these like depressive feelings and they quiet those feelings. So it's not actually making you happy. It's it's moving from like negative 100 to zero. That's really what serotonergic medication does. And so when we boost serotonin transmission, we are sort of moving more towards contentment as opposed to pleasure.