(Editor’s: One of Bruce’s from the archives)
A few years ago, I attended a lecture where the speaker described the effects of the hormones serotonin and dopamine and oxytocin. His subject was actually the modern phenomenon of tech dependency – especially smart phones and social media.
What he said was, serotonin is released when you accomplish something, and to our brains, just checking email is an accomplishment worthy of a little squirt of serotonin. But the effects of serotonin are very brief, so we want to go back and do that again, and again, and again.
The thinking is, humans are social creatures, and so we evolved these hormones as rewards for staying social, which increased our chance for survival. His research did not include whether or not any specific hormones are produced when posting videos of cats playing piano, or posting long political diatribes.
I realize now that I have behaviors that stimulate serotonin that date way back before smart phones existed. Since I was 10 or so, I have always had a guitar handy, and I reflexively pick it up and noodle several times a day. Sometimes, this was due a concerted effort to get better at playing the instrument. Other times (maybe most times), it was just a simple gesture that made me feel good, and stimulated thoughtfulness.
But once I started playing with other people, it took on another dimension, emotionally. Getting together with friends, old and/or new, and playing music got that serotonin flowing and I like it.
This isn’t unique to music, obviously. The cell phone thing is a good example. The speaker who brought this up used it as an example of something bordering on an unhealthy obsession (albeit one with a biological mechanism), but who doesn’t want to naturally do what makes them feel good?
I used to play cards with my neighbor a lot – Cribbage and Canasta – man, we had fun! You’d think we had little moscow mule cups with serotonin in them. But looking back, that’s almost certainly what was at the heart of the enjoyment. We’d play three games, and we we’d want to do it again – we’d waste a whole afternoon on it.
Now, back to the motivational speaker’s point – had we neglected my family to play cards or play guitar, or got distracted by either while trying to drive a motor vehicle, well, that would be signs of an unhealthy habit – hormone driven or not.
So, what’s my message? It’s simple – do what makes you feel good, as much as you can, but keep things in balance, right?
