During this episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, we discuss Dopamine + Culture.
There has been more and more talk about “web3” recently, talk which will only continue to grow louder. We haven’t quite delved into how web3 will potentially dovetail with collective mental health, but in this episode we cover how the internet (web1) and social media (web2) continue to impact collective mental health through our over-reliance on dopamine release. Amongst other hormones discussed in this episode, dopamine is often referred to as “the molecule of more” and for good reason. No other hormone seems to create addictive tendencies quite like dopamine, and our current culture isn’t short on sources of this risky hormone. We reflect on an article written by Anna Lembke called “Digital Addictions are Drowning us in Dopamine” as well as a twitter thread by Zain Kahn (@heykahn) which shines a light on how life in the present day is so much different than life in the 50’s.
*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out. We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.
As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts. We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss.
Helpful Links:
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/digital-addictions-are-drowning-us-in-dopamine-11628861572
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/hormones/guide/
- Zain Kahn on Twitter: @heykahn
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