Your Junkie Brain!

Your primitive brain/lizard brain/habit brain is like a JUNKIE.

And as we all know, junkies LIE in order to get what they want...their next hit.

And  for most of us, the next hit that our primitive/lizard brain is trying to get is a DOPAMINE HIT.

Another hit of that 'feel good', reward chemical our brain releases in response to certain stimuli.

 

So, for example, just this morning I was having breakfast.

I planned to eat half a bagel and then reassess my hunger cues.

After a half bagel, with avocado and tomato and cream cheese atop, I physically felt satisfied and knew I had had enough.

 

And then...

"But it tastes SO GOOD! Another half won't make much of a difference toward your goals. Bagels aren't that great for you anyway so you might as well just have the other half."--said my primitive brain.

 

LIES, LIES, LIES!!!

 

Ok, well yes, it's true that it tastes so good.

But 'another half won't make much of a difference toward your goals'...LIES LIES LIES.

If we check this against logic...that is essentially saying that eating 50% less than you otherwise would in a day (say you take this approach at every meal and listen to your actual physical hunger/satiety cues)...that's saying 50% less doesn't make a difference.

 

WHAT????!!!!

 

Nope, that's just my junkie brain trying to trick me into giving it some more dopamine hits.

I'm onto you, junkie brain.

The next time you feel torn between one decision or another and suspect that your primitive brain might be lying to YOU, I invite you to check what it's telling you against logic.

 

Is it really true??!!