ERP 305: The Surprising & Powerful Benefits Of Learning To Tolerate Discomfort — An Interview With Dr. Anna Lembke

Our brains are hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain and that’s what’s been keeping us alive. However, that's a problem in this day and age where we have an overabundance of highly potent and reinforcing drugs at the tip of a finger. As a result, there’s been a significant increase in the percentage of anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric problems as we are constantly seeking pleasure. In this episode, we’ll learn what’s happening in our neurobiology as we seek comfort in a dopamine-rewarding behavior as well as what happens when we learn to tolerate some discomfort. Understanding how our brains work will be extremely beneficial as we consider our personal development and relationships. Anna Lembke, MD, is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers and she sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations. Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine overloaded world. Check out the transcript of this episode on Dr. Jessica Higgin's website. In this episode 5:04 Understanding how we develop tendencies for seeking pleasure and overconsumption. 16:06 How social media, other technology, and even food contribute to these tendencies. 18:48 Our propensity to notice the behavior. 24:34 How to start a healthy balance between pain and pleasure. 30:15 Some real-life examples of tolerating the discomfort and its benefits. Mentioned Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (book) (*Amazon affiliate link) Stanford marshmallow experiment Connect with Dr. Anna Lembke Website annalembke.com Connect with Dr. Jessica Higgins Facebook: facebook.com/EmpoweredRelationship  Instagram: instagram.com/drjessicahiggins  Podcast: drjessicahiggins.com/podcasts/ Pinterest: pinterest.com/EmpowerRelation  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjessicahiggins  Twitter: @DrJessHiggins  Website: drjessicahiggins.com   Email: [email protected] If you have a topic you would like me to discuss, please contact me by clicking on the “Ask Dr. Jessica Higgins” button here.  Thank you so much for your interest in improving your relationship.  Also, I would so appreciate your honest rating and review. Please leave a review by clicking here.  Thank you!   *With Amazon Affiliate Links, I may earn a few cents from Amazon, if you purchase the book from this link.