
Neuroscientist: “We are in the Great Dumbing Down of Humanity.” What every Woman (and parent) needs to hear with TJ Power
Stronger Bolder WiserShow Notes
The first time I interviewed TJ, I felt like I had learned more about myself in 45 minutes than I had in seven years of therapy.
And I don’t say that lightly.
Because what TJ does so well is take something that feels complicated, like your brain, your habits, your lack of motivation, and make it make sense. In a way that instantly clicks.
In this conversation, we’re talking about dopamine, but not in the way you’ve probably heard it before.
TJ Power is a neuroscientist and the founder of Dose Lab, where he studies what he calls “stimulation addiction”, how modern life, from our phones to sugar to alcohol, is rewiring our brains.
And more importantly, how to actually reverse it.
Key moments:
0:00 - Why understanding your brain could change how you experience your entire life
3:06 - What dopamine actually is and why it controls your motivation, focus and mood
5:19 - Why modern life is overwhelming your brain and leaving you feeling flat, distracted or unmotivated
7:26 - How our ancestors earned dopamine and why life felt more satisfying because of it
10:01 - The “great dumbing down” of humanity and what it’s doing to your attention, memory and thinking
16:15 - Why scrolling, alcohol and sugar leave you feeling worse from a neuroscience perspective
24:01 - Why some people constantly chase stimulation but others feel more steady and regulated
29:25 - Why you keep reaching for your phone, food or alcohol even when you know it’s not helping
36:28 - What constant stimulation is doing to kids’ brains and attention spans
40:38 - Why we keep choosing quick relief over what actually makes us feel better
46:28 - The signs your dopamine is dysregulated
50:13 - Ways to rebuild your dopamine so you feel motivated, focused and more like yourself again
56:48 - How quickly your brain can reset when you reduce stimulation
1:03:18 - Why your life can feel like it’s speeding up
Grab TJ’s best selling book, The Dose Effect here.
And if you want more of TJ you can follow him on IG @tjpower or visit his website www.tjpower.co.uk
Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en
Join my latest programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/
If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here.
And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.
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Taking 30 days off alcohol in midlife rarely feels the way social media promises. Boredom, flatness and broken sleep often come first, and none of it means you're doing it wrong.In this video I share the five most unexpected things women discover in their first 30 days without wine, from the 5 to 7pm boredom to the friend who suddenly goes quiet. I explain why your brain can feel flat once alcohol stops lighting up your dopamine reward centre, and why sedation is not the same as restorative sleep. Most importantly, I explain why all of it settles.Key Topics Covered- Why boredom hits hardest between 5 and 7pm when you stop drinking, and why taking alcohol out means adding something in, like an evening walk, a class or a hobby.- Feeling flat after quitting alcohol: how years of drinking dysregulate your dopamine receptors, and why it evens out with time.- What to do when friends get weird about you not drinking, and why talking to your closest friends first helps.- Why sleep without alcohol can get worse before it gets better, and how to ride the emotional rollercoaster of the early weeks.Timestamps What Happens When You Stop Drinking For 30 Days (00:00) Thing 1: Boredom Between 5 And 7pm (00:40) Thing 2: Feeling Flat After You Stop Drinking (02:01) Thing 3: When Friends Get Weird About You Not Drinking (02:44) Thing 4: Why Sleep Gets Worse Before It Gets Better (03:37) Thing 5: Feeling Emotional Over Nothing (04:40) Free Support To Change Your Drinking (05:20)Also Watch My Previous Episodes:- Seven Signs You Are a Grey Area Drinker- Six Reasons Successful Women Are Quietly Quitting Alcohol- Three Reasons Women Cannot Metabolise Alcohol as Effectively as Men***Struggling to know what to do when stress, boredom or big emotions hit?Download my free guide "100 Things to Do Instead of Drinking", a toolkit for sitting with those feelings instead of reaching for a glass of wine.Get your free guide → https://bit.ly/4qOiGUw***Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze
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