This essay is part of a Circles in Time series called ‘Seeing Ourselves as Systems’. Subscribe here to get access to future posts.
The more pleasure we chase,
the more pleasure we attain,
the more we experience pain.
There is no pleasure without the existence of pain. They are two sides of the same coin. A deeply rooted system. Native to the human condition.
Importantly, there is nothing inherently wrong with pursuing life’s pleasures, but there are a range of problems that arise when we put pleasure on a god-like pedestal and pursue it blindly without regard for its implications.
When pleasure is made the ultimate object of life, what we are doing is attempting to make a home in something inherently ephemeral. As a result, we spend our whole life perpetually chasing and suffering as we desperately try to avoid the pain and hold onto pleasurable peaks when they arise.
This cycle is made more difficult by the fact that the pleasure associated with the object of our desire diminishes with time, while the pain we experience when we don’t have an object continues to rise.
This means that we need more and more of the object of desire in order for it to provide us with the same levels of pleasure.
Again, the pursuit of pleasure is NOT the problem here. Valuing pleasure above all else is. As a result, we turn a system that naturally produces a healthy balancing feedback loop into one that generates a reinforcement feedback loop, where we perpetually crave ever higher peaks which produce less and less pleasure as time passes. A cruel path, but one so many human’s end up going down.
This constant craving for more is often subtle but becomes obvious within the context of addictive drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine.
This search for new heights isn’t an inherent property of the drugs themselves. What these drugs are doing is just magnifying the effects of an existing system inherent in all of us. Whether is it be chocolate, cocaine or hitting a marathon milestone time, the story is the same.
We pursue, we attain, we feel pain and pursue more to reach the same pleasurable gain. That’s the cycle. That’s the system. That’s the game.
SHOULD YOU TRY TO LEAVE THE GAME?
Some suggest that we should attempt to end the perpetual pleasure-seeking cycle to remove pain and achieve a life of happiness, freedom and peace.
Ignore such suggestions with ruthless resolve. Unless, of course, you desire a shallow life of delusion and constant suffering.
I am going to assume that the intent of the individuals suggesting such a path are well-meaning, and in that case, they must have failed to see a fundamental truth about human nature:
That at a certain level, it is impossible for a human not to play the pleasure-seeking game. The cyclical system is an inherent part of our nature. We are the game, and without it, we would not be human.
Suffering is not the result of pleasure and pain. Suffering arises from an inability to accept things as they are. By not accepting the natural systems that make up the human condition, we invite suffering in with open arms.
WORKING WITH THE GRAIN OF THE PLEASURE SEEKING CONDITION
The human being cannot remove themselves from the pleasure-seeking cycle. But they can learn to master it, and in doing so, avoid the traps and pitfalls that unhealthy states of the system can lead to. One can also learn how to cultivate a strong psychological immune system to protect them against other individuals and organisations taking control of an individual’s pleasure-seeking system for their own gain.
Mastery starts with a sincere and meticulous exploration of what the pleasure-seeking system actually is and how it works. The goal here is understanding, for, without true understanding, you will just end up chasing ghosts and managing delusions.
PEAKING UNDER THE HOOD
If you want to understand the cyclical nature of pain, pursuit, pleasure—then it is imperative to know how the human brain’s dopamine system works.
WHAT IS THE DOPAMINE SYSTEM?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced by neurons in a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Each of these neurons have axons that shoot dopamine at a brain structure called the nucleus acumens, which acts as a control centre for motivation and movement in humans.
The system works like an accelerator. When you are just sitting around, your VTA releases dopamine at a rate of 3-5 times a second. If you then feel excited about something, the rate of dopamine can increase to as much as 30-40 times per second.
This biases you towards action—meaning that as the release rate of dopamine increases, it produces an ever stronger desire to move in a certain direction. It gets you on your horse.
A MISCONCEPTION ABOUT DOPAMINE
Dopamine is often described as the ‘pleasure molecule’. This is partially true. Dopamine is released in response to pleasure (food, sex, status, etc). BUT, It is mostly released in SEEKING, ANTICIPATING AND CRAVING for particular pleasures.
Dopamine is released at an accelerated rate to bias you towards pursuing a particular thing. It doesn’t care what that thing is. Whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, it isn’t the dopamine system’s function to figure that out.
THE ORIGINS OF THIS ANCIENT SYSTEM
The system evolved to motivate behaviours toward particular goals in the interests of survival and reproduction. Without a system to motivate us towards things that would make us feel good, we wouldn’t move.
Over the centuries, human’s have found many ways to hack this ancient system. Such hacks may start as trivial and well-meaning but can quickly slide into an unhealthy addiction.
Cocaine and methamphetamine trigger such a high increase in the dopamine release rate that they can create a closed-loop where all other pursuits seem dull. All the system wants is to get back to that level or move beyond it.
Relative to a baseline release rate of 3-5 times/second:
During sex (100% increase)
Nicotine (150% increase)
Video games (150% increase)
Cocaine (1000% increase)
THE ROOTS OF THIS PERPETUAL PLEASURE CHASE
How is it that we can get addicted to things that bring us less pleasure with time?
Being addicted isn’t about the fact that it feels so good that you want to do it over and over again. Pleasure is one side of the dopamine coin. Pain is on the other side.
When you anticipate something, dopamine is released, moving you toward the object of interest. When you engage with the object of interest (food, sex, etc), further dopamine is released.
As you repeatedly chase and attain, dopamine creates a pleasure response, but at the same time, there is also a low-level sense of pain.
These pain and pleasure responses overlap in time, and it is often hard to sense the pain response. If you pay close enough attention, you will notice a slight dissatisfaction, a craving for more of the pleasurable thing (e.g. one last piece of chocolate).
So the craving pain created by the dopamine release (associated with attaining the pleasurable thing) is relieved by yet more dopamine, leading to further pursuit and attainment. 🔁
This creates a perpetual cycle of pain → chase → attain → pain.
This pain isn’t any less serious than typical forms of physical pain (e.g. a sprained ankle or a toothache). For someone missing a lover or craving a substance they are addicted to, the level of pain can be just as salient.
What this all means is that your desire for something is proportional to how pleasurable it is to indulge in that thing, BUT also how much pain you experience when you don’t have it.
The dopamine system did not evolve for you to indulge in the same thing repeatedly. Initially, you experience an increase in pleasure, with a subtle increase in pain. With time the amount of pleasure diminishes (dopamine firing rate drops), BUT the pain doesn’t.
We are largely motivated by the desire to pursue more to reduce the pain we experience.
Again, this is dynamic is obvious within the context of addictive drugs like cocaine (addicts need to relieve their craving pains by increases amounts of the stimulant to attain the same level of pleasure).
This isn’t a feature of the drug. It is a feature of the dopamine system.
FUEL FOR DOPAMINE: NOVELTY, VARIABILITY & UNCERTAINTY
So as the attainment of a pleasurable thing is repeated, the dopamine firing rate slows down.
You then need to increase your dosage of the pleasurable thing to get the same dopamine firing rate and experience the same level of pleasure.
More of the same pleasure is not the only thing that maintains or increases the dopamine firing rate. It turns out that the right amount of novelty, variability and uncertainty are rocket fuel for the dopamine system.
This is obvious within the context of sex.
Dopamine is released at an accelerated rate in anticipation and on consummation of sex and reproduction. After orgasm, there is a decrease in dopamine and a sharp rise in the hormone called prolactin, which creates a sense of lethargy.
Prolactin always follows dopamine-driven attainment (not just sex). It is responsible for the temporary slump that typically follows any pleasurable high. As a rule of thumb, the higher the peak, the higher the prolactin-induced drop.
Within the context of sex, prolactin sets the refractory period on when a male can mate again. This varies based on mate novelty, something that is come to be called the Coolidge Effect.
The Coolidge Effect is a widely studied theory that is observed across the animal kingdom, as is apparent in the joke from which the name of the effect originated:
"An old joke about Calvin Coolidge when he was President ... The President and Mrs. Coolidge were being shown [separately] around an experimental government farm. When [Mrs. Coolidge] came to the chicken yard she noticed that a rooster was mating very frequently. She asked the attendant how often that happened and was told, "Dozens of times each day." Mrs. Coolidge said, "Tell that to the President when he comes by." Upon being told, the President asked, "Same hen every time?" The reply was, "Oh, no, Mr. President, a different hen every time." President: "Tell that to Mrs. Coolidge."
~ Roger Johnson
Novelty and uncertainty are such strong drivers of dopamine because of something called reward prediction error.
The dopamine system loves positive surprises. A positive surprise is an experience that exceeds the predicted experience. E.g. You go to the mailbox expecting bills, and you see a handwritten letter from an old friend.
Described formulaically, the reward prediction error is:
The actual amount of dopamine that is released in response to something - the amount that is expected. Exceeding expectations leads to a rapid acceleration in dopamine release and a recalibration of expectations.
These misexpectations lead to all sorts of interesting effects on the brain, but perhaps the most interesting is that they encourage neuroplasticity. There is literally a reshaping of the brain created by the dopamine spike that allows for adaptation to mitigate similar surprises in the future.
MANAGING THE DOPAMINE SYSTEM
Again, a human cannot ever fully escape the pursuit of pleasure, or the pain that arises as a result. Nor would it benefit them to try. Pursuit, attainment and pain are NOT the problem. To ignore this truth is to invite suffering in through your front door.
The problems start to arise when we place pleasure on a pedestal when we value pleasure above all else and overexpose ourselves to highly effective dopamine-releasing stimulants.
In doing so, we open ourselves up to negative reinforcement loops, addiction and excessive chasing, throwing the ancient system out of kilter.
Keeping the system at a healthy steady-state isn’t made easier by the fact that the modern world makes cheap pleasures so easy to access. Sugary foods are just an order away. One doesn’t even need to leave the comfort of their own couch in pursuit. And while the individual waits, they can scroll through their social streams or watch something pleasurable on their internet-connected TV.
MANAGE YOUR DOPAMINE SCHEDULE TO YOUR BENEFIT
#1 Avoid Bright Light Late at Night
Viewing bright light late at night activates a circuit in the brain called habenula, which suppresses dopamine firing. This means that you temporarily experience a dulling of things that you normally feel positively towards and a strong drive to pursue. As a result, you are likely to be a lot less effective, focused and productive. You are also more likely to maintain a state of discomfort and seek out high dopamine-releasing stimulants that may be detrimental to your health, wealth and wellbeing.
#2 Introduce Reward Variability for Long Run Pursuits
The amount of dopamine associated with some pleasurable reward diminishes with repeated exposure. To keep the dopamine firing rate up, introduce variability and surprise. When it comes to consistent outputs, sometimes reward yourself for successful completion, and sometimes don’t. This is where top-down driven expectations can play a big role in influencing the system.
#3 Leverage the Support of Other Systems
The dopamine system is not the only system that produces brain chemicals that make us feel good. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins are all products of other systems the human brain uses to relieve pain. I’ll be exploring these systems in future episodes of the series.
“I know that pain is the most important thing in the universes. Greater than survival, greater than love, greater even than the beauty it brings about. For without pain, there can be no pleasure. Without sadness, there can be no happiness. Without misery, there can be no beauty. And without these, life is endless, hopeless, doomed and damned.
Adult. You have become adult.”
― Harlan Ellison, Paingod and Other Delusions