Hack the Holidays | Hack #5 - Chocolate Vegetables
No. Do not cover all your vegetables in chocolate.
Let’s talk about the brain for a second. The reward-center of your brain gives you a burst of dopamine when something good happens. Here is a list of things that boost dopamine compiled by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D and Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine:
- Chocolate - increases dopamine 1.5x above baseline
- Sex - 2x above baseline
- Exercise (if you enjoy it) - 2x above baseline
- Nicotine (when smoked) - 2.5x above baseline
- Cocaine - 2.5x above baseline
- Amphetamine - 10x above baseline
What does this have to do with Hacking the Holidays? Vegetables (or let’s face it, most other good things we want to make habits) tend to be ignored during the holiday season. You can get veggies back in the routine using this trick:
Eat your vegetables, then a piece of ERND chocolate.
That’s it. Really. When your mind begins to anticipate a piece of chocolate after vegetables, it will also begin to release dopamine because of vegetables. If that sounds crazy, try it out for a few weeks. Let us know how it goes on our Instagram!