What happens to your dopamine when you get a notification vs when you accomplish a goal?

Dopamine: Notification vs Goal Accomplishment

Dopamine is a chemical that carries signals between brain cells. It is often tied to feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and reward. When you get a notification or accomplish a goal, your brain releases this chemical, but the levels and impacts may be significantly different.

Dopamine and Notifications

When you receive a notification, your brain receives a small burst of dopamine. This occurs because these notifications act as cues for potential rewards. The anticipation for a real or virtual reward, like a like or share on social media, compels your brain to release dopamine, creating a sense of excitement or pleasure (Lin, 2016).

Dopamine and Goal Accomplishment

Achieving a goal delivers a significantly larger dose of dopamine to your brain. This is because the feeling of accomplishment and success is viewed by the brain as a far more substantial and rewarding event. As such, the pleasurable feeling that comes with achievement is generally more powerful and longer-lasting than that derived from getting a notification (Schultz, 2016).

While both notifications and accomplishments trigger dopamine release, it is important to note that the frequency and magnitude of dopamine release could potentially affect your overall brain health and behaviour (NIDA, 2020).