2023 has just staged a finale.
This year may be a little emo for many people:
The grand narrative has become irrelevant, and it is imperative to actively live on, and the mortgage and car loan are not waiting for me, and the heavy responsibility of raising a baby and providing for the elderly is on our shoulders......
Therefore, contemporary young people have started a self-experiment in the field within their ability: give up "black, white and gray" and embrace "red, yellow and green";
And behind this, in fact, is the change in the mood of young people, they don't want to pretend to be a mature adult anymore, but let the teenager in their hearts be completely released.
This also makes "dopamine" a new generation of traffic passwords.
01. Everything can be "dopamine"
Open social platforms, dopamine dressing, dopamine scenic spots, dopamine walks, dopamine diets, dopamine vacations...... Jumping into the eye, it seems that everything can be dopamine.
According to the WeChat index, the search terms related to "dopamine" have basically remained above 12 million in the past month, with a maximum of more than 100 million, and the Douyin topic has also reached tens of billions of views.
On Xiaohongshu, the consumer vane, the number of views of the #多巴胺 topic has also exceeded 100 million, and there are more than 2.87 million related notes.
As a hormone secreted by the brain, dopamine affects a person's mood and judgment, causing people to feel happy, excited and other emotions. And the happiness from dopamine is spreading rapidly in the field of consumption.
According to the data, last year's Double 11 sales were 1 hour, and the sales of bicycles, cycling clothing, and cycling equipment, the "three major cycling pieces", increased by more than 100%, while skiing and outdoor shoes and clothing increased by 300% year-on-year.
According to the "2023 Alipay Annual Discovery Report", the transaction value of performances and movie tickets on Alipay increased by 223% year-on-year. According to the sampling, 90% of the tickets for popular performances were sold out within half a minute, 71% of them belonged to cross-city performances, and the post-95s accounted for the majority of the audience.
The dopamine economy, which pays for "pleasing oneself", is becoming a hot "torrent" under the downgrade of consumption.
02. Which nerve does "dopamine" step on in contemporary people?
In the view of behavioral economics, any consumption behavior is not only the satisfaction of the functional needs of goods or services, but also the result of the combined effect of consumer psychology, cognitive biases and emotional factors.
To put it bluntly, young people are no longer keen to pay for the good life created by the industrial age, but pay more attention to their own feelings and pay for their emotions.
As the saying goes: I am willing to buy a thousand dollars!
Let's take a look, what kind of era are we in?
From a macro point of view, from the incremental era to the stock era, from barbaric growth to quality improvement and speed reduction, the main theme of the whole era is no longer "accelerating sprint", but "moving forward at a uniform speed".
In such a slightly depressed daily life, bright, high-saturation colors can indeed produce an obvious "sense of contrast" with the daily atmosphere.
So young people began to return to and embrace the original joy and happiness through the creative aesthetic of dressing.
From an individual point of view, the popularity of "dopamine" is also "fate".
The human brain is like a delicate instrument with its own happiness engine. Every time the dopamine in our brains starts dancing to the melody, a sense of well-being arises.
The driving force behind this is the mysterious "reward system" inside our brains, which acts like a cunning magician to quietly associate all sorts of smiling activities with rewards:
Every time we hit a game, indulge in a high-scoring movie, savor a tempting meal or embark on a relaxing journey, our brains are instructed to produce more dopamine and get your happiness level soaring.
And these dopamine-providing products and services are like a key that unlocks the door to happiness, unleashing endless joy with just a twist.
03. Take "dopamine", please take it in moderation
But then again, going for a dopamine economy doesn't mean we're going to be caught up in an endless spending spree.
You know, the brain, the "happy bartender", will gradually adjust the recipe: over time, the response threshold to dopamine will also be higher and higher.
Simply put, it requires a larger dose of stimulation to achieve the same level of pleasure, which is known as "tolerance".
In the end, we who have been kidnapped by dopamine are not redeemed, just a bunch of addicted prisoners.
To avoid becoming addicted to the world of dopamine, first of all, we have to have a truth or dare adventure with ourselves: Are you in love with this game, this blockbuster, this food, or this trip?
But if the answer makes you hesitate, don't rush to order for a short dopamine boost, because "being cool all the time" doesn't mean being cool all the time.
Next, learn to play the game of demand management. Every time that little devil whispers in his ear, "Buy it, buy it!" might as well be tortured by the soul, "How long will it make me happy?" If the answer is as fleeting as fireworks, think again.
You must know that life is not a single song that loops "Instant Happiness", and the long-lasting endurance of the happiness index is more important.
I advise everyone, and consume and cherish, every moment you scan the code to pay is an opportunity to add some material to your life. Instead of blindly pursuing "instant excitement", it is better to carefully consider every consumption as the "key" to unlock a better life.
As Oprah said, "There's endless power hidden deep inside you, don't forget to dig into it." ”
Therefore, it is particularly important to find a balance between enjoying the instantaneous happiness brought by consumption and maintaining a long-term sense of well-being.
Treat the dopamine economy like a dessert – it's sweet to try once in a while, but don't forget that moderation is the wisdom of life.
This article was originally written by Julang Park (ID: JulangPark), if you need to reprint, please apply for authorization through the official account background.