Seek Satisfaction, Not Happiness

For true fulfillment, novelty and stress are part of the equation.

Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, a scientist and author of the book, “Satisfaction, The Science of Finding True Fulfillment, looks at the exquisite interplay between brain structure and experience from the outside in.

He says…” I used to think that we want pleasure and happiness, and now I don’t think that is the case at all.”  Happiness and pleasure are passive emotions, and you don’t have to do much to achieve these feelings.  I think of satisfaction in terms of a much more active component.  Nature never said you had to be happy.  It said you had to learn to adapt to the world…

Berns has concluded the answer lies in a generous portion of the neurotransmitter dopamine and a surprising does of the so-called stress hormone cortisol, bathing a slab of brain structure called the striatum.  The stratium…acts as a kind of air traffic control center in our brains, receiving loads of information from the frontal lobes.  It also has the largest number of dopamine receptors of any region of the brain.  Dopamine neurons are concentrated near the pituitary gland and the brain stem, and are released when something unexpected or novel occurs.  Because the highest density of receptors is in the striatum, the neurotransmitter is drawn to that region of the brain which then decides what information it should pay attention to and what it should ignore.

Our brains are rich with dopamine during adolescence, a period of life known for its impulsive behavior and wild enthusiasm.  As we grow older.… dopamine requires a greater stimulus to get flowing… we need to give it some inspiration through activities that are novel and challenging.

Cortisol is released when the body is exposed to a physically, mentally or psychologically stressful situation… the conventional medical wisdom is that stress should be avoided.  Berns doesn’t agree… suggests that cortisol has a number of beneficial qualities…it can gear up the body to run or fight or do whatever it needs to deal with the stress…levels rise with vigorous physical exercise… can elevate mood, increase concentration and even improve memory.

Novelty releases dopamine and stress releases cortisol, and these two chemicals interacting may hold the key to the way that challenging, even painful situations can provide a feeling of real satisfaction… The problem… is novelty inevitably becomes routine, so the stakes keep getting raised for more novelty… If we are geared to seek satisfaction through challenge and novelty, we must constantly seek higher levels of experience to maintain the same level of satisfaction… We become more conservative in seeking out risky behavior as we age, thus it may take comparatively less stimulation, less novelty to get the same levels of satisfaction as we grow older… At its best, a healthy intimate relationship can offer someone the excitement, unpredictability and novelty that is essential for sustaining a deep sense of satisfaction…  First you experience, then you share… perhaps satisfaction is an experience best shared collectively and reciprocally with others.

by Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, Special to the Los Angeles Times, excerpts.