TJ Power

If you can't go to sleep with the choir, you opt towards podcasts and audio books and things like that. But I would say that process is the most important factors.

If you can't go to sleep with the choir, you opt towards podcasts and audio books and things like that. But I would say that process is the most important factors.

Yeah, it's better for your relationship as well.

Yeah, it's better for your relationship as well.

This boredom thing is really important to consider because boredom is something our mind experienced in abundance for most of human history. We spend loads of our time bored. Even if you think back to being a kid, how much time did you sit around and say, mom, I'm bored? That was a big thing. And now that's not a thing.

This boredom thing is really important to consider because boredom is something our mind experienced in abundance for most of human history. We spend loads of our time bored. Even if you think back to being a kid, how much time did you sit around and say, mom, I'm bored? That was a big thing. And now that's not a thing.

People don't really experience boredom because we've got the tablets and we've got the phones to always stimulate us. We've discovered this thing called the boredom barrier, effectively. And I'm someone that really struggles with this. As I said, I really struggle with that hyperactivity. If I sit and do very little, it's like, well, what can I do? What can I do? So I relate to the experience.

People don't really experience boredom because we've got the tablets and we've got the phones to always stimulate us. We've discovered this thing called the boredom barrier, effectively. And I'm someone that really struggles with this. As I said, I really struggle with that hyperactivity. If I sit and do very little, it's like, well, what can I do? What can I do? So I relate to the experience.

And when I started trying to do these phone fasts in the evening and watch TV, like I'll put on a movie, for example, and I think this used to entertain me. And this is so boring now, this film. We were watching Gladiator the other day. Great movie. I know Gladiator 2 is coming out. So I was like, okay, let's watch Gladiator 1.

And when I started trying to do these phone fasts in the evening and watch TV, like I'll put on a movie, for example, and I think this used to entertain me. And this is so boring now, this film. We were watching Gladiator the other day. Great movie. I know Gladiator 2 is coming out. So I was like, okay, let's watch Gladiator 1.

And you're sitting there and you're thinking, wow, this is pretty boring watching this experience. The important thing to understand is we see a boredom barrier about 12 to 15 minutes of being bored. So for that first period, you're gonna have your brain and body literally physically fighting to try and recover that experience of stimulation.

And you're sitting there and you're thinking, wow, this is pretty boring watching this experience. The important thing to understand is we see a boredom barrier about 12 to 15 minutes of being bored. So for that first period, you're gonna have your brain and body literally physically fighting to try and recover that experience of stimulation.

So it's trying to get you to get up and go to the fridge and get the sugar. It's trying to get you to get the phone and open the social media. It's trying to seek to get back to that state that it was in of highly elevated dopamine. If after about 12 to 15 minutes, the brain begins to discover okay, the dopamine is not coming back. I'm going to have to stay in this state.

So it's trying to get you to get up and go to the fridge and get the sugar. It's trying to get you to get the phone and open the social media. It's trying to seek to get back to that state that it was in of highly elevated dopamine. If after about 12 to 15 minutes, the brain begins to discover okay, the dopamine is not coming back. I'm going to have to stay in this state.

The brain and body will settle. The heart rate will slow. That desire for stimulation will occur, will reduce. And in that moment, we'll then begin to find like a more peaceful state in our body. And we think it feels peaceful scrolling our phone, but really it's just numbing our dopamine receptor. So that feels like it's peaceful, but that is not restorative.

The brain and body will settle. The heart rate will slow. That desire for stimulation will occur, will reduce. And in that moment, we'll then begin to find like a more peaceful state in our body. And we think it feels peaceful scrolling our phone, but really it's just numbing our dopamine receptor. So that feels like it's peaceful, but that is not restorative.

That is not the actual rest our brain and body is needing. The one thing I'd add to this is if you try and phone fast and watch TV, it's very important that other people do it, like you were saying with Radhi, because there's this fascinating area of dopamine called anticipatory dopamine, which basically means that our dopamine will rise simply at the thought of accessing dopamine.

That is not the actual rest our brain and body is needing. The one thing I'd add to this is if you try and phone fast and watch TV, it's very important that other people do it, like you were saying with Radhi, because there's this fascinating area of dopamine called anticipatory dopamine, which basically means that our dopamine will rise simply at the thought of accessing dopamine.

That's why, for example, if you like drinking alcohol and you walk past a bar and you see some people having some glass of wine in the sun, you suddenly get this massive urge of, I want a glass of wine, I want a glass of wine. Your dopamine has risen just at the thought of having it. The same thing is happening with the phones. You're sitting at dinner with your partner or your kids.

That's why, for example, if you like drinking alcohol and you walk past a bar and you see some people having some glass of wine in the sun, you suddenly get this massive urge of, I want a glass of wine, I want a glass of wine. Your dopamine has risen just at the thought of having it. The same thing is happening with the phones. You're sitting at dinner with your partner or your kids.