Week 2, Day 4: Impulse

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

Image from Wikimedia Commons, from Lim S-J, Fiez JA and Holt LL (2014) How may the basal ganglia contribute to auditory categorization and speech perception? Front. Neurosci. 8:230. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00230 http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2014.00230/full

Not far from the amygdala sits another brain region, the nucleus accumbens (NA), which is part of our “dopamine reward system.” The NA’s motto is, “if it feels good, do it!” It is most active when we act on impulses, and it plays a key role in learning. It also helps program the dorsal striatum, which (as I said yesterday) plays a role in our automatic behaviors. So if you have a habit of cracking open a beer at the end of the day, your nucleus accumbens and your dorsal striatum are shaking hands on a job well done. And if you have a hard time saying no to a reward or delaying gratification, that’s your nucleus accumbens at work!

I want to make a distinction between the way we usually think of “will power” as a character strength, and what I’m saying here about the ways brain systems interact. When we talk about brain systems and neurotransmitters, we make it clear that the struggles we face in changing our own behaviors are not about will power, but about biochemistry. When I’m trying to change a habit, I am literally pumping more blood into my prefrontal cortex (PFC) to override other systems (like the amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal striatum). It’s one against three! It’s an unfair fight!

When I’m wearing my counseling hat and trying to help people control their anger, or reduce their alcohol consumption, or overcome depression, I’m often trying to normalize their struggles and help them be less judgmental of their own failures. “We are bundles of automatic processes,” I tell them. “It is mentally exhausting to fight with your own brain.”

Yet self-control is about training ourselves to resist the impulsive action: to speak gently when we want to yell, to turn down the snack or drug, to back away from the rush of spending or gambling money. Serotonin, rather than dopamine, seems to be the neurotransmitter of delayed gratification. These neurotransmitters function like an accelerator and a brake.

We can train our PFC and give ourselves more control over our impulses with some basic things: exercise, sleep, time outside, and mindfulness meditation. These activities also boost serotonin levels which help us put the brakes on our impulsive behaviors. Not surprisingly, spirituality, worship, and awe also have beneficial effects on our brains’ ability to regulate itself.  

Christmas advertising is all geared toward appealing to our impulsive side. “Black Friday sales” start the week before Thanksgiving. The capitalist Christmas machine ramps up to stimulate our nucleus accumbens, giving us dopamine as we anticipate buying new things.

Advent, the season of waiting, asks us to practice self-control, delaying gratification. It reminds us that waiting is a skill that we can learn.  

Prayer: Emmanuel, God-with-us, the whole Earth waits for you.