Dopamine is the chemical of motivation and pursuit—not reward. This deep dive covers what dopamine actually does in your system, how to increase dopamine naturally through daily habits, and the in-the-moment tools that boost it when you're flat or stuck. There's a molecule in your brain and body that, when released, tends to make you look for things outside of yourself—pursue something you don't yet have. That's dopamine. It's the molecule of motivation, pursuit and desire. In early environments, food, shelter, mates, and safety were not guaranteed. Humans had to move toward them, often across long distances and in dangerous circumstances. And so dopamine evolved to signal: "That thing over there could help you survive. Go get it." It's the chemical of forward action. When dopamine rises, it energizes your system: Increases willingness to put in effort Boosts focus on potential rewards Strengthens memory around success and learning Suppresses distractions and redirects attention toward the goal So this is key to understand: Dopamine doesn't reward having the thing. It rewards pursuing the thing. That's why: You can feel most alive when you're working toward something, not just when you achieve it Motivation dips when there's no challenge, novelty, or uncertainty Cheap dopamine hits (scrolling, sugar, binge-watching) trick your brain...

I used to think I was bad at focus. Some mornings, I’d feel unstoppable—sharp, clear, energized. Ideas would land. I’d knock out work in record time. Other days: total fog. I’d sit there, scrolling, staring, refreshing my inbox—waiting for my brain to click. For the longest time, I blamed myself. Not disciplined enough. Not organized enough. Not enough. But it turns out, nothing wrong with me. I was just operating on a system I didn’t understand. A system where neurochemicals drive my energy and focus. Last week, we explored dopamine—the molecule of motivation, desire, and pursuit. It’s what makes you want something, what gets you excited about a goal. Epinephrine is the molecule of energy, alertness, and action. It’s what turns that motivation into focus and action. You can think of dopamine as the spark and epinephrine as the fuel. Of course, I’m breaking these down into separate emails for clarity, but in your brain and body, these systems are deeply interconnected. The same tools that boost dopamine often also boost epinephrine. And that’s good news—because it means a few simple practices can shift your entire neurophysiology! Let’s get into it. Epinephrine: what do we need to know? Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) is the body’s rapid-deployment ‘go’ signal. Your adrenal glands can release it as a hormone...

The human brain is built to wander. Left to its own devices—in traffic, on a trail, in the shower—attention quickly drifts. (Try counting ten slow breaths without losing track; it’s surprisingly hard!) Deep, single-task focus forces that nomadic mind to plant its flag, which is why it’s such hard work (and why most of us are pretty crap at it!) But the fact that it’s hard doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with our brain. It’s doing exactly what its designed to do. So for me, Huberman’s post is a blunt but important reminder: Stop searching for a pill or waiting for the perfect conditions. Instead, train the skill. Yes, it’s hard, but it’s worth it. However! Before we attempt a 3-hour deep-work marathon, we need the neural equivalent of marathon prep: steady mileage, smart fuel, the right gear. That means understanding and optimising the key neurochemicals involved in focus. We’ve already covered dopamine and epinephrine. Today we’re zooming in on the third player: acetylcholine. Acetylcholine: what do we need to know? Neuroscientists describe focus as a combination of three neurochemicals working together. I like this analogy to bring this to life visually: Dopamine is the propeller that drives the arrow forward, providing the motivation and drive to start and sustain your effort. Epinephrine is the arrow’s shaft, providing...

I used to think a good mood just happened—and if it didn’t, I was stuck. I’d wake up, scan my internal state, and let that decide my day. Good mood? Lace up for a run, make a nice breakfast, text a friend. Low mood? Skip the workout, dive straight into email, postpone plans “until I feel like it.” It took a lot of trial and error to realize I had the sequence backwards. Moving my body, proper food, a catch-up with a friend—those are the levers that create the good mood. Now, I try make this my default cycle: Eat well → feel better → have energy to work Move my body → mood rises → relationships feel easier See friends → serotonin spikes → motivation returns Doesn’t mean it’s easy though. I fall back into the old cycle regularly. “I don’t have time to go for lunch today.” Or “I wasted too much time today so now I need to cancel dinner so I can catch up tonight.” Yet every single time I go for lunch and see a friend, even if it feels uncomfortable to step away from work, I come back feeling reset and refreshed. The molecule at the center of that loop is serotonin—our brain’s built-in signal for calm, contentment,...

In this article, we’re exploring a hugely underrated feature of our brain—our imagination—and how we can train ourselves to use it to get better at pretty much anything we want. One of the most remarkable features of our brain is that we can imagine things that aren’t real. It’s a wonderful capacity, one that comes with a price: Most of what we imagine is negatively skewed. Because of our brain’s negativity bias, we spend most of our time ruminating and catastrophising. We’re hardwired to be pessimistic. But instead of mindlessly sticking to these default settings, we can learn how to use our imagination in a way that’s intentional and productive, and works for us instead of against us. We do this through a practice called mental rehearsal, mental imagery or visualization, and it's one of the most valuable skills you can develop. As sports psychologist Jason Skelk says, “If you’re not visualizing on a regular basis, there’s no way you’re living up to your full potential.” A practice of visualization and simulation Mental rehearsal is the cognitive process of purposefully creating and simulating experiences in your mind. So sitting down with your eyes closed, you’re creating a vivid mental video where you’re engaging all of your senses...

My brain doesn’t do so well with chaos and uncertainty, and so it doesn’t help that I have an itch to move to a new country every few years. A couple of years in New York, a longer stint in Singapore and then, feeling the pull to be closer to home (Belgium), over to London. Just as we were settled in (Apartment - check! Billing address changed for all my online subscriptions - check!), my partner and I realize it’s not the right place for us. This felt incredibly disorientating. We just went through an entire moving process. So then where is the “right” place for us? Is there even such a thing? After a few months of inner turmoil and long walks talking about what matters to us, we decided to move to Lisbon. We have no social network here, no family. We don’t speak the language and can’t say we know much about the country. But something about the place just felt right, and we decided to trust that gut feeling this time. The months it took us to make the decision and pack up and move again were riddled with uncertainty and overwhelm. There’s so much admin to figure...

There’s a direct relationship between how much and how quickly we breathe, and the state of our nervous system and thus our physiological and mental health. We assume our body reflexively knows how much air it needs at all times, but seems like that is not the case. Our bodies have adapted to our modern lifestyles, which often involve chronic stress, sedentary habits, unhealthy diets, overheated homes, and lack of fitness. All of that has led to a culture of dysfunctional over-breathing, for some people up to 2 and 3 times the required amount. We breathe too much, too fast and often through the wrong hole. (An incredible book to read is Breath by James Nestor, a journalist who travelled the world to explore what went wrong with our breathing and how to fix it.) Studies that have explored breathing patterns have shown that most people breathe anywhere between 15-30 breaths per minute. These numbers probably don’t mean much until you know that the healthiest and most efficient way of breathing is only 5.5 breath cycles per minute. You can easily measure your own respiration rate if you’d like. Just set a timer for one minute and count the number of breath cycles. One breath cycle...

I feel my back pressed against the chair and the warmth of my feet on the hardwood floor. I focus on the slow rise and fall of my belly, controlling the movement of my diaphragm. Up...

Our bodies send us clear signals when we need a break. Fidgetiness, hunger, drowsiness, loss of focus. Mostly, we override them. We find artificial ways to pump up our energy: caffeine, sugary foods, and our body’s own stress hormones — adrenalin, norepinephrine, and cortisol. A much smarter way would be to work with something we all have at our disposal: Our ultradian rhythms. These rhythms exist in all of us, and we can leverage them as a way to engage in focused bouts of deep work. This is not just another productivity fad. It is a biological fact that we are optimized for focus and attention within these 90–120 minutes cycles. In his first Premium AMA, Stanford professor Andrew Huberman spoke at length about how he uses ultradian cycles to manage his day and best capture neuroplasticity (even on the weekends!). In this post, I describe everything I’ve learned about ultradian cycles, how they work and how I personally plan on applying this to my life (definitely not on the weekends!). The Science Behind Ultradian Rhythms Most of our body’s essential processes run on a 24-hour cycle called a ‘circadian rhythm’. Circadian = “about a day” On a coarse level, the circadian rhythm manages the transition between wakefulness and sleep. In addition, it...

Is there anything you wish you had learned more about in school? For me, without a doubt: Neuroplasticity. The incredible feature that allows our nervous system to change in response to experience. I’m convinced I would have approached studying and learning very differently (and appreciated my young, plastic brain a lot more!).     We’re Designed To Change Neuroplasticity is one of the most amazing yet underrated aspects of our biology. It's the biological equivalent of having a Growth Mindset: with hard work and good strategies, you can change the physical circuitry of your brain. Because here's the thing: All of us are born with a nervous system that isn’t just capable of change but is designed to change. This allows us to think differently, learn new things, forget painful experiences, and adapt to practically anything life throws at us. For a long time, it was assumed that only the young brain is plastic and can change. (Something about an old dog and new tricks?) But scientific research is now very clear: the adult brain is plastic. And that is the essence of the incredible breakthrough of neuroplasticity: your brain is not fixed. Instead, your brain can change in response to your experiences, thoughts, and actions. You can rewire your brain so new motor, cognitive and...