Attention as Currency: Navigating Social Media and Chemical Health DOPEamine

Hey there! Today, I want to talk about the concept of attention as currency in our modern world. We often give away our attention freely without realizing its true value, but when we're in situations where we have less attention to spare, we come to understand how precious it is.

One way to maximize our attention is through immersive experiences that allow us to be fully present in the moment. Whether it's reading a book, hiking in nature, or attending a live event, these experiences help us to focus our attention and enhance our lives.

But in today's world, social media can be a major drain on our attention. As comedian Chris Rock has pointed out, there are four ways we try to get attention online: showing our ass, becoming infamous, being excellent, or being a victim. While social media can provide a sense of community and connection, it can also be addictive and lead to disconnection from the real world.

That's why I think it's important to reframe the conversation around mental health as "chemical health" and pay attention to how our bodies feel when we're on social media versus when we're off. By becoming aware of the impact of our digital habits on our physical and emotional well-being, we can make better choices about how we spend our time and attention.

So, let's start treating our attention like the valuable currency that it is. And, speaking of valuable things, I want to invite you to support the Happy Chemicals podcast on Patreon.com/happychemicals. This podcast explores the fascinating world of brain chemistry and how it influences our behavior and emotions. By supporting the podcast, you can continue to learn more about the science of happiness and well-being.

Thanks for tuning in to "Attention as Currency: Navigating Social Media and Chemical Health"!

Pick up my new book Happy Chemicals: A Neurotic Memoir at http://www.bit.ly/happychemicalsbook

This is a book about a person writing a book and the challenges that come with writing a book. I guess it's also about a person trying to better understand themselves by outputting their inner dialogue into a book to try and better understand the parts of themselves. It's a neurotic memoir because it's about letting loose and seeing what the brain truly comes up with, complains about, notices, figures out, makes absurd, wants to dismiss, and wants to hide. This book is about bringing all of those thoughts, even the scary ones, up to the surface to bounce them around a bit and make some sense out of it or better yet, nonsense.

---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/happychemicals/message

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dopeamine.substack.com/subscribe