Excerpt from a YouTube conversation ("The Hidden Cost of Chasing Dopamine | TJ Power") arguing that dopamine drove early human goal-directed behaviors (fire-making, hunting), that dopamine absence leads to seeking behavior, and that oxytocin promotes belonging, purpose, and longevity; the speaker links social connection to well-being and asks why modern society is becoming disconnected.
Dopamine has been one of the most important desires throughout our whole human evolution. As a man and woman in a tribe, you would have got your dopamine from making the fires, chasing down the meat, and that was such a pivotal thing that we needed.
And when dopamine was absent, they were driven to dopamine seeking behavior.
Once the dopamine goes, oxytocin can become a priority. Oxytocin is designed to make sure we have a deep sense of belonging and purpose in our tribe.
We know that sense of community and purpose into later in life are so important to longevity.
In the pursuit of oxytocin, your system starts to think, well, actually my life's pretty good, and that's a nice feeling for a human being.
Why is society becoming so disconnected?
I would say deep connection is.
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