Inside Health Weekly

Sunday afternoon at the US Tennis Open: Carlos Alcaraz smashed the 2025 final, reclaiming the No. 1 spot.

The chase of excitement after every point? Talk about Dopamine. Alcaraz didn’t win because he chased the short hits— he played the long game.

Then there’s you: Checking your feed 27 times before breakfast, letting dopamine dominate and dictate your day (again).

1. Inside Your Dopamine Court

Even if you don’t watch tennis, your brain is basically playing the U.S. Open… with dopamine. Where do you dominate?

1. 🎾SERVE: All about Anticipation

   • You light up before anything even happens. Dopamine spikes when you expect a reward.

2. 🎾FOREHAND: A Smooth Operator

   • You love guaranteed wins. Tasks done, goals hit, likes earned, this is the dopamine sweet spot.

3. 🎾BACKHAND: The True Risk Taker

   • You thrive on uncertainty. Cliffhangers, tense challenges, “maybe it works” dopamine keeps you locked in.

4. 🎾BREAK POINT: A Tension Addict

   • High-stakes moments fuel you. Heart racing, focus to the max, adrenaline is pumping & (you probably enjoy extreme sports) dopamine is in full swing.

5.  🎾WIN: The Always Hungry 

   • You celebrate (briefly), then your brain is already chasing the next challenge. Think: A friend’s addiction to scrolling.

2. Do This, Not That.

(Study With Dopamine)

❌NOT THAT → Start with your easiest assignment to feel “productive”
✅DO THIS → Tackle the ugliest task first. Your brain gets a massive dopamine release once it’s done, making everything else feel lighter.

❌NOT THAT → Wait until exam week to review
✅DO THIS → After class, write a 3-bullet point recap like you’re texting a friend. Instant dopamine reward + long-term memory win.

❌NOT THAT → Copy every single slide word-for-word
✅DO THIS → Turn slides into memes, pictures, or 3-word hot takes. Your brain loves creativity (memory sticks better).

❌NOT THAT → Wait for “study motivation” to magically appear
✅DO THIS → Pair studying with a micro-reward (your favorite drink, gum, or even changing study spots). The reward loop keeps dopamine firing.

3. Science Breakdown

Social Media: The Dopamine Loop

Depression and anxiety levels have increased over the past two decades, and so has our usage of TikTok.

This is partly due to doomscrolling— Each time you swipe, your brain’s reward circuit gets overloaded with dopamine.

Think of the slot machines at casinos:

1. What happens when you start compulsively needing to scroll more and more?

   →You create an addictive behavior, which literally rewires your brain to constantly seek that small reward of pleasure that doomscrolling tricked your brain into needing.

   →This indirectly contributes to anxious behaviors— without this rush, your brain signals a mini S.O.S. to satisfy this craving!

2. What about our habits might leave me feeling “drained”?

   →That’s your dopamine baseline dropping. When you engage in habits that dump a load of dopamine, such as doomscrolling, it lowers that baseline.

3. How does this affect you?

   → It reduces your drive & motivation, making it harder to pursue your goals.

Tips to Maintain Healthier Dopamine Levels:

1. Don’t layer your habits with more habits.

   In other words, try not needing to have six different things going on the next time you workout, such as drinking an energy drink, while listening to music, AND having a T.V. show playing (whew!)

2. Be nicer to yourself and acknowledge your successes!

   This positively activates your brain’s reward system and pushes you to keep going in the right direction!

3. L-Tyrosine: Eat foods rich in this, like red meats, nuts, or cheese.

   This molecule is a building block of dopamine, and by eating foods containing this, your body does a better job making its own supply.

4. Level Up - Resources

Boost productivity, Hack dopamine. Learn it, use it, own it.

5. Join the Movement

Are you an undergrad with a passion for healthcare and ready to build a personal brand? Inside Health is expanding our family of Contributing Authors across the globe! 🌍🌍🌍

By joining, you’ll:
- Share your perspective and raise awareness on health literacy
- Gain access to mentors, exclusive events, and PR Packages
- Be part of an international like-minded community of leaders

The choice is yours: is it one day… or day one? 🚀🚀🚀

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From Cordelia

I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, I leave you with my final take:

That’s everything for now! Thanks for hanging out with Inside Health this week. Understanding how you function starts with education, and you’re already doing the work just by being here.

Until Next Time! —The Inside Health Team.