Pavlov’s Dopamine Dog
We all have habits, some positive and some negative.
People often ask how habits are formed and what is happening to the chemistry in the brain during this habit forming process.
We create habits so we can re-act quicker. The brain interprets the information provided from our senses and filters this through our experiences, from this the brain releases a chemical which tells your body how to react – and all of this happens in milliseconds
Conditioning, Association and Anchors
The famous experiment now known as Pavlovs Dog explains conditioning. When Pavlov produced a food substance, his dog would salivate.
Pavlov then started to ring a bell before he brought out the food substance. After a short period of time Pavlov found that his dogs would salivate at the sound of the bell prior to seeing any food substance.
Dopamine Teaches Us How To React
Dopamine is a pleasure chemical. Once released we feel good about the stimulus – When presented with food (let’s use a hamburger as an example) dopamine is released and we feel good about the food substance. This quickly becomes an association – hamburger equals pleasure
Even a picture or the thought of the hamburger will release the dopamine chemical.
Dopamine and Predictions
Our brain allows us to make predictions, to foresee the potential future. It is this amazing quirk of the brain that allows us to respond quickly to situations.
When conditioned to react to a stimulus (hamburger equals pleasure) the brain also records all the other information taken in through our senses. The brain can recognise patterns and will use these patterns to release chemicals earlier, helping you to respond quicker.
This is why Pavlov’s dog salivated when it heard the ringing of the bell. The dogs brain associated the bell to the food to the pleasure. Because the brain predicted that the bell would result in food, it released dopamine at the sound of the bell.
This is why humans driving past a McDonalds sign, will be highly motivated to drive in and buy a Big Mac. The brain associates the McDonald logo to a burger to pleasure, releasing dopamine a pleasure/motivator chemical at the visual stimulus – the McDonalds Logo.
Automatic Teaching
With each experience the brain learns and through plasticity the brain changes its neural pathways and synapses creating new habits.
If Pavlov continued to ring the bell but stopped producing a food substance the dog, after a short period of time, would learn to not salivate at the sound of the bell. The dogs experience will re-wire the brain changing the habit.
The same with McDonalds, if you associate a new emotional experience to a hamburger, you will feel motivated to drive past the McDonlads logo. This is a great technique you can use to lose weight and become more healthier.
Chris Delaney NLP Life Coach, Hypnotherapist and Career Advisor is available for booking for One to One Private Sessions, Group Training Sessions and Public Speaking Events
Chris Delaney is also a published author “The 73 Rules of Influencing the Interview – using Psychology, NLP and Hypnotic Persuasion Techniques”
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