Why do the majority of people lose the joy of living that they displayed in our youth?
Is there a reason that there are so many grumpy old men?
Are the depressing lyrics of John Mellencamp’s song Jack and Diane a reality for most? – “Oh, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.”
Well researchers have been studying this and there is an excuse:-
An MRI scan study by the National Institute of Mental Health in the US has found that youthful joie de vivre depends on the number of reward circuits at the front of your brain that can become stimulated by dopamine, a key chemical reward messenger.
Apparently at my age – 60 – when I am undertaking a thrilling passtime only the parietal of my brain gets a rewarded with a dompamine shot – whereas those 20 year olds as usual get all the luck and have dopamine delivered to three areas of the brain – giving them their buzzy response to the stimulus.
Is there anything to be done? –
OK so what can I – and indeed you if you are a day over 20 – do to keep your one remaining fun circuit sparky?
There is a wealth of psychological research that shows that certain life habits can get rewards to your one remaining faithful parietal section of your brain.
These important habits are:
- learning new things
- maintaining your spontaneity
- meking new friends
- keeping old friends
- holding on to a sense of mischief
- staying doggedly optimistic
Yep – I met someone this week who could really be called sparky and even sparkly in her old age – - well into here eighties – and she certainly has all those habits a plenty.
Technorati Tags: brain, dopamine, habits, joy, joy of living, thrill
About Keith Watson
Hi - I am Keith Watson.
This blog is dedicated to Banger - a teacher from my teenage years who - at least once a week - insisted upon cracking the hilarious - and I have to say - never heard before line "What's on Watson?".
I would smile demurely - the rest of the class would fall about with sides aching - and life would go on for another week.
'Wats-on My Mind' I have decided will assist me personally as well as be of interest to others (I hope) who share my challenges. It will help keep me organised and document my activities so that I know what I did yesterday.
You think I am joking!!
I have been in the website development game since 1993 and have been involved with over 2000 website builds (with the help of my fantastic team of freelance programmers)
It was only in the last two years though that I have moved over to making money for myself on line and in particular linking up with an amazing talent called Adam Eason to produce and distribute self help and hypnotherapy products.
As a result of looking to promote these products I have downloaded hundreds of internet marketing articles and e-books, studied countless reports, tested list building tactics, butterflied, boot-camped, buzzed, adsensed, affiliated, met a jerk, jv'ed, plr given-awayed, and generally suffered from information overload.
My computer - presumably in a fit of pique or simply demanding a holiday has given up the ghost on at least two occassions - causing me even more stress.
Oh this simple business of making money online.
BUT the great news is that it is all working and our list has grown - I have found some gurus I have complete faith in - and Adam and I are actually making money from our endeavours.
Some way to go but I am more relaxed and can spot a phoney over hyped, sexed up, must have latest product which you must either buy or if not, simply fade into oblivion. There’s not room on this Internet for the two of us.
This ramble of an introduction is really to set the scene for I am sure an interesting journey which I invite you to join. In fact I want you to help me find the right tools, scripts, plugins etc. etc, that will catapult me into the stratosphere of success. I hope you will be there with me.
I don't just consider success in a monetary sense. I so want to help some friends of mine who are involved in Christian missionary work in some pretty harrowing parts of this world. If I can bring any help to their missions that will give me more satisfaction than anything else.
I really, really do love this web stuff and the people you meet. I am convinced that this powerful technology can be harnessed to do some good.
