The Harsh Social Reality: The Poor Indulge in Dopamine, The Wealthy Pursue Endorphins

In 1995, a gathering of 500 wealthy individuals and politicians in San Francisco discussed a pressing issue: the rapidly widening wealth gap and escalating class tensions due to globalization. Their solution for keeping the poorer population content was simple — provide endless entertainment, akin to pacifying a baby with a pacifier. This strategy is known as the “Pacifier Theory.”

Reflect on this in everyday life: have you noticed how various distractions impede serious endeavors? For instance, while attempting to study or work, the urge to play a video game or watch a short video can disrupt hours of productivity. This is the trap of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that offers an immediate sense of pleasure. However, it’s like a cheap drug, luring you into a cycle of fleeting happiness and dependency.

In contrast, endorphins are earned through overcoming instinctual challenges. While they’re harder to obtain, they bring immense satisfaction from personal growth. The cruelest aspect of society lies in this divide: the poor are often lost in the transient pleasures of dopamine, while the wealthy push themselves towards the enduring fulfillment of endorphins. This disparity highlights a profound difference in how different social classes seek satisfaction and purpose.

In the 21st century, the most valuable commodity is time. Whoever can capitalize on others’ time can earn their money. Conversely, those whose time is wasted are doomed to poverty, as everyone’s time is limited.

When you invest your energy in self-improvement and honing skills, your value inevitably rises. However, if you squander your energy on trivial pleasures, the time you could spend on personal development drastically diminishes. This way, you risk being rendered ineffectual without even realizing it. This truth underscores the importance of time management and the pursuit of meaningful activities for personal and professional growth.

The story of Chen Xiaohan, shared by Zhihu user @陈霄汉, is a cautionary tale about the dangers of succumbing to subtle temptations. Coming from a rural background, Chen worked hard and managed to get into a prestigious university in Shanghai, setting him on a path to a potentially successful future. However, his life took a drastic turn in college.

A roommate from a wealthy family introduced Chen to an array of gaming consoles. Unfamiliar with such gadgets, Chen was quickly enticed into playing. This introduction to the thrill of virtual combat led him down a path of addiction. He spent nights in internet cafes, eventually neglecting his studies and future job prospects.

Years passed, and while his classmates progressed in their careers, Chen found himself mired in debt and anxiety due to his gaming obsession. He realized too late that it wasn’t poverty itself that was terrifying, but the unnoticed temptations that slowly eroded his values and transformed him into a shadow of his potential.

Writer Li Shanglong echoes this sentiment, noting how easy it is to waste away in big cities with just a small room, an internet connection, and takeaway food. The constant dopamine rush from videos, live streams, and games can lead to addiction, making one lose track of time and become content with the status quo.

A Harvard Business School study revealed a striking contrast in leisure activities between the wealthy elite and the lower-income population. The affluent and elite often engage in enriching activities during their free time, such as reading, learning, and exercising. In contrast, those from lower economic backgrounds tend to prefer consumptive forms of entertainment that provide instant gratification, like playing mahjong, gaming, or watching soap operas. These divergent approaches to leisure significantly influence their respective life outcomes.

The documentary “Becoming Warren Buffett” showcases the lifestyle of the famed investor. It doesn’t offer quick secrets to wealth; instead, it highlights Buffett’s consistent focus on education and self-improvement. While the average person might watch TV, play games, or scroll through short videos, Buffett is known for dedicating his time to reading academic materials, absorbing the latest financial news, and learning advanced wealth management concepts.

Warren Buffett has a routine of waking up before 7 am and then spending 5 to 6 hours reading various news and financial reports. His office is devoid of modern distractions like computers and smartphones, adorned instead with books and newspapers spread across his desk. This disciplined approach to personal development and continuous learning is a key aspect of his remarkable success.

Warren Buffett’s key to success lies in his lifelong commitment to reading and learning, shunning low-level entertainment. According to Dr. Adam Alter, a psychology professor at Princeton University, creators and designers of high-tech products rarely succumb to addiction. They invest their time in more valuable activities.

For instance, Steve Jobs’s children never used an iPad; their weekends were spent reading books and discussing history. Twitter’s founder didn’t buy tablets for his children, who instead attended various enrichment courses after school. Game designers avoid games like “World of Warcraft,” and many Silicon Valley magnates stay away from electronic devices after work.

Observing the lifestyle of the wealthy reveals that many, despite their affluence, continue to work hard instead of indulging in relaxation. They maintain strict diets and exercise regimes even with an already fit physique and constantly seek knowledge and self-improvement despite high educational attainment.

The reason is that affluent individuals understand the cheap thrill of dopamine. Indulging in low-level pleasures can deplete wealth over time. In contrast, the pursuit of endorphins, though painful, is about conquering challenges. By continually pushing oneself to undertake difficult and sometimes tedious tasks of value, one can securely grasp wealth and lead a fulfilling life. This approach differentiates those who simply possess wealth from those who thrive and grow with it.

Aristotle once noted that human pursuit of happiness should be more elevated and grand compared to animals. While dopamine offers an animalistic pleasure, it can erode time and make life feel empty and mundane. Endorphins, on the other hand, are a reward for overcoming hardship. They demand significant effort but can lead to profound transformation.

Here are three suggestions for chasing endorphins and altering your current predicament:

1. Endure What Others Cannot

In our fast-paced world, many succumb to the lure of instant gratification. But if you can endure just a bit more than others, the gap between you and them widens. Take Zhang Yiming, for instance. While his peers were dating or gaming in college, he devoted himself to reading and coding. He believed in resisting mediocrity and the temptations that pull towards it. By exercising restraint and striving when others are indulgent or slack, you can stand out over time.

2.Be Harsh Where Others Are Not

Achieving things that trigger the release of endorphins is never easy. When Haruki Murakami started running, he woke up at 4:30 AM and ran until he was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. During his literary endeavors, he would lock himself away, working tirelessly from dawn to dusk, revising even the simplest drafts up to eight times. Success and achievement don’t come easily; they require being tough on oneself. Being strict with yourself paves the way for a kinder life.

3.Achieve What Others Cannot:

In our world, anything that leads to downfall often has a rapid feedback mechanism. For instance, a 10-second TikTok clip can make you laugh hysterically, a few bites of sweets provide immense satisfaction, and a couple of rounds of gaming can delude you into feeling victorious. However, such fleeting pleasures can lead to a gradual descent into unproductivity and eventually, failure.

Contrarily, all endeavors that lead to progress and excellence have an extremely slow feedback mechanism. A single workout won’t sculpt six-pack abs, but a year of consistent exercise might. Reading one book might not change your cognition significantly, but a thousand books can transform your perspective profoundly. Without perseverance, you’ll never taste the sweetness of endorphins. Enduring a little longer, bearing a little more, can lead to vastly different outcomes in life.

Blogger @EvolutionaryThoughts shares a profound insight: “The gap in innate talents among people isn’t vast, yet their ultimate achievements can be worlds apart. Aside from circumstances and luck, the fundamental difference lies in the paths they choose: some pursue the fleeting joys of dopamine, while others embrace the enduring rewards of endorphins.”

Succumbing to the transient pleasures brought by dopamine will only yield life’s bitterness as a reward. Conversely, honing oneself through the struggles that endorphins entail promises the sweet fruits of life’s gifts. Always remember: Don’t let low-grade pleasures drag down your life. Nor should you become a complacent frog in a slowly boiling pot of comfort.