This podcast transcript explains the peaks and valleys of dopamine and how your current and past experiences can influence your future experiences. It also highlights how dopamine is affected during periods of fasting and how the subjective aspects of fasting can serve as reinforcing dopamine-amplifying aspects.
The subjective aspects of the knowledge of the benefits of fasting can serve as reinforcing dopamine amplifying aspects to fasting, and the longer you restrict yourself from rewarding activities, the greater dopamine experience when the dopamine is finally released because of an upregulation of the receptors for dopamine.
The level of dopamine we experience shapes our perception of pleasure, and it is influenced by our prior experiences. Peaks of dopamine can make it more challenging to experience the same level of pleasure again, and subjective interpretation can also affect it.