There are non-pharmaceutical ways to increase dopamine—some healthy, like exercise and engaging your creativity and being connected to others or to a higher goal, and some counterproductive, like bingeing on carbs; using drugs like alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax; or engaging in compulsive activities like gambling, shopping, sex, or workaholism. Failing to master the adaptive pursuit of dopamine leads to addictions of all kinds, but mastering it leads to success and joy.
