• easy dopamine hits dysregulate our limbic system
• this encourages us to look for quick hits
• quick hits usually involve self centered activities

The argument

• all your problems are dopamine problems
  • left brained society makes you think your problems are quantitative and provides isolated solutions that don’t solve the underlying problem
  • e.g. gamified CBT, sodas with fiber — the solution is always substituting one kind of dopamine with another
• better solutions
  • regulation
  • meditation
    • evidence is thing for meditation-as-dopamine-fasting argument
    • but more evidence that meditating improves how your brain responds to dopamine (RPE?)—specifically mindfulness meditation
    • seems like MBCBT for addiction studies could be relevant here?
• why don’t more people do it?
  • dopamine driven people have a tough time getting motivated by something that does not increase status/money/evolutionary advantage
  • they also have a tough time with rewards that aren’t quantitative or immediate
  • our constant search for dopamine means our baseline feels unsatisfying — so we hate the feeling of confronting it head on
  • hard to compete with other activities in a high dopamine society
  • actually, it has similar post-study persistence to other “obviously good” lifestyle changes like exercise (but exercise has tangible, self centered benefits and can be done socially)

A century of quick hits: a reading map + remedies

1. Blaise Pascal — Pensées (1657–58) Proto-diagnosis of distraction: our urge to avoid stillness (“diversion”) keeps us from meaningful reflection.Remedies: cultivate solitude; sit quietly without stimulus; examine your life (Pascal’s “diversion” argument).
   • testing
   • again
2. Ivan Illich — Tools for Conviviality (1973)When tools start using us: industrial-scale systems can erode autonomy; we need “convivial tools” that empower—within limits.Remedies: prefer simple, human-scaled tech; set responsible limits; redesign your toolset toward agency (pen & paper, offline craft, community tech).
   • Interesting ideal—although he dislikes some tools for different reasons besides “dopamine hits”
   • But maybe aligned in that we agree on this: just because a tool makes something easier does not mean it makes us happier
3. Aldous Huxley — Brave New World (1932, fiction; thematically central)Pleasure as social control: instant, state-provided bliss (“soma”) dulls thought, depth, and freedom.Remedies (inferred): embrace discomfort and meaning over sedation; protect free thought and deep relationships.
   • A classic of the genre
   • A good demonstration of why the dopamine-rich life is unsatisfying
   • But the cause of dopamine saturation is different: I’m concerned with capitalism/technology driving us to faster and faster hits—Huxely is concerned with societal control
4. Neil Postman — Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985) From typography to TV to spectacle: when media become entertainment by default, public discourse (and attention) thins. Remedies: restore “serious” mediums and formats (long-form reading, live dialogue); change the medium, not just the message. (Still strikingly relevant.)
   • A look at a very specific form of dopamine hit—not sure of its wider relevance to my concerns
5. Neil Postman — Technopoly (1992) When culture surrenders to technology: efficiency and metrics colonize meaning. Remedies: adopt cultural “filters” before adopting tools; articulate non-technological values; practice techno-selectionism (accept some tech, reject others).
6. Deirdre Barrett — Supernormal Stimuli (2010)Exaggerated cues hijack ancient drives: ultra-palatable food, porn, viral media—engineered to outcompete natural rewards.Remedies: remove “supernormal” versions; choose natural, slower alternatives; redesign your environment (pantry, home screen) to favor default good choices.
   • This seems very relevant to my concerns!
7. Cal Newport — Digital Minimalism (2019)Use tech on purpose, not by default: a philosophy + playbook for intentional digital life.Remedies: 30-day digital declutter; re-add only high-value tools; schedule solitude; invest in high-quality leisure and real-world community.
   • digital tools can sometimes have quick dopamine hits? So orthogonally related
8. Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long — The Molecule of More (2018)
9. Robert Wright — Why Buddhism is True (2017)
   • Similar to dopamine vs. h&n argument above, but doesn’t use these terms and provides a non-biological explanation for why meditation works (you recognize the dopamine-fueled thoughts and ignore them, vs. recalibrating your dopamine system via meditation)