The Gratification Migration

Media multitaskers actually experience a thrill with switching—a burst of dopamine—that can be addictive. Without it, they can feel bored.

Certainly, these are incredible and exciting life milestones, but as sure as you are human, your level of happiness regressed to baseline after the initial buzz wore off. This “tolerance” to dopamine, especially when achieved by any short-circuiting of the stimulus/reward pathways in the brain, can result in “anhedonia,” or a pathological inability

Jump-starting the brain’s reward system benefits not just those who suffer from depression or those who have struggled with drug abuse. Our brains change as we age, and adults lose up to 13 percent of the dopamine receptors in the reward system with each passing decade.