28. Tenet 5: The Dopamine Concept

Tennet 5: The Dopamine Concept

Humor is a central tennet to livin4d in that laughing and being playful elicit the body, mind and being to produce dopamine.

Interpersonal and individual humor transcend negativity and friction resulting in an elevation to the person and/or the relationship. One is able to elevate above the world's negativity that can easily bring is down. As all global religions reference in various forms, "(-)" is what keeps us from connection with "(source)."

Dopamine is the natural:

1. antedote and
2. anecdote to cortisol.

As previously mentioned in this blog, cortisol is the stress hormone released during times of systemic activation due to internal thought processes or external threats of danger or anticipated danger in varying degrees. Factors that elicit the cortisol response may be imagined or they may be real. 

Differentiating between these two variables is irrelevant as reality is ultimately an interpretation of individual perception. The same reality is often experienced through many different lenses and thus appears quite differently to individuals.

It is these different interpretive lenses that cause human friction as there seems to be an incessant pull and push to view from the other lens or understand an alternate view. As discussed in Tennet 4, the color wheel of illumination provides anchoring to allow for connecting while keeping individuality.

To provide a little background on Cortisol, our nervous systems are divided into 2 categories:

1. Our Central Nervous system (CNS) consisting of our brains and spinal cords.

2. Our Peripheral Nervous System or PNS consists of nerves radiating out of the CNS. Our PNS can further be broken into the  Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which has 2 components:
1. Parasympathetic Nervous System and 2. Sympathetic Nervous System.

These 2 subdivisions work antagonistically with each other in that they simultaneously function in reverse. Conceptually, antagonistic operations are similar to muscles one would work out at the gym.  One day, a gym goer would work out  biceps, followed by working out triceps the next day in order to optimize myofibrils or muscle fibers expanding in muscle bulk. This antagonistic concept allows 1/2 to rest while the other 1/2 is in work state.  A similar balance can be seen with respect to our sleep and wake states with respect to our circadian rhythms.

Our nervous systems or "fight and flight" and the newly added "freeze," are the antagonistic swings similar to the muscle and sleep concepts. 

The Parasympathetic Nervous System releases Dopamine while the Sympathetic Nervous System releases Cortisol.

If one were running from a bear or in an emotionally engaged fight, one would have cortisol released. If one were laughing or being playful (or eating), one would have dopamine released.

The reason why these subdivisions of the ANS are important to mention with respect to livin4d's "Dopamine Concept" has to do with the release of "Emotional Cortisol."

As cortisol is released during a systemic activation state, it engages our sympathetic nervous systems to somatically respond in many ways including but not limited to: fatigue, nausea, headaches, illnesss, obesity, sleep issues etc.  As livin4d  focuses on interpersonal relationsips, it will address the cortisol response with respect to self and interdynamic friction.

Again, whether stress is "imagined or real" is irrelevant as the mind is so powerful that mental stress of both varieties viscerally elicit the same reaction.

Mental or cerebral stress can be more harmful to mind and body than environmental stress in that there is no direct somatic outlet. With environmental stress, the body has a visceral way to release this stress either by running or shaking it off as in the above mentioned bear example. With Emotional Cortisol, the stress hormone is trapped with nowhere to go but to build internally.

When we engage in interpersonal friction whether it be at the office, at home or with a driver on the street, our bodies systemically  release cortisol and this cortisol pools and circulates within our bodies and literally can cause emotional explosions.

Artistically imagine a human being having a good moment or a happy interaction. Now imagime this human being being a clear contained hollow form. When this form is experiencing this state, imagine it filling with a fluid that to you feels good. (Imagine color, temperature, movement (if any) sound). Now this is the feeling and mental imagery of the body filling with dopamine.

If one's container is self full, a horn could beep in one's ear and one wouldn't jump.  (Easier with self. The more challenging and possibly rewarding is to keep a Dopamine filled container while sharing with another).

Now imagine draining this human container of this dopamine fluid. Clear thr mind for a moment.

Now imagine this same human clear contained form with a fluid that is associates with stress, relational friction, anger, bad memories. Imagine what this fluid would be like (Imagine color, temperature, movement (if any) sound).

Now shaking this container for representation purposes of building frustration. (Try not to visualize this too long as the idea is to focus on the prior Dopamine visualization but this is a neat exercise for sake of comparison and so that in the future you can be in touch with your internal "humors."

The problem with imagined emotional cortisol stress and real emotional cortis stress of the mind as opposed to environmental stress is that there is no direct inlet or outlet in the moment. Sure one can go to the gym. Sure one can smoke a cigarette or go for a walk or eat. (These are internal and external ways of 'releasing' stress though clearly some more beneficial to the body than others).

Regardless of the inlet or outlet antedote or anecdote to emotional cortisol  neither simultaneously occurs to the internal stressful event as it does when the body runs from a bear.

As a result of there not being a simultaneous emotional release valve to cortisol, we can easily escalate into friction resulting in us saying and doing things that can cause personal and relating demise.

It is for this reason that the Dopamine Concept of livin4d is so important. It provides in the moment humor antedotes  and anecdotes to Emotional Cortisol resulting in decreased seld and interpersonal friction. Specific examples of the Dopamine Concept will be provided at a later point in time.