Bad Advice
In the movies, science breakthroughs always seem to come from accidents or late-night beers.
In school, we are told that accomplishment come from privilege and genes.
These lenses do not motivate a person to invest the effort necessary
to make a breakthrough. So why would anyone immerse themselves in their
own research project the way Ramon y Cajal suggests?
Research stimulates our happy brain chemicals in new ways
Dopamine
is released when you see yourself approach a reward. Our brain quickly
habituates to old rewards, and it takes something new to stimulate it.
Your passion project thrills you with dopamine...until you hit a snag.
Visible progress toward rewards is needed to stimulates dopamine. We
can't always make visible progress, but we can generate positive
expectations internally. Of course your expectations may be wrong. You
encounter huge obstacles sometimes, and your cortisol is triggered. As
you struggle to rekindle positive expectations, Ramon y Cajal’s book can
help.
Oxytocin
is released when a mammal finds social support. But following the herd
restricts your options, so we all struggle to trade off the dopamine of
greener pasture with the oxytocin of social support. Oxytocin is quickly
metabolized so our brain is constantly looking for safety in numbers.
When your passion project is critiqued or ignored, you may feel like a
gazelle exposed to predators. Re-reading Ramon y Cajal’s book can help
you stimulate oxytocin because you feel him on the path with you.
Serotonin is released when a mammal feels confidence
in its own strength. Your passion project is a great way to stimulate
it. Serotonin makes it feel safe to assert and meet your needs. Alas,
the nice feeling is hard to sustain because it's quickly metabolized,
and because the strength of others keeps getting your attention. This is
why mammals are always eager for ways to stimulate serotonin. When your
confidence droops, this book can help you feel your strength.
Ambition, Then and Now
The word "ambition" is often used as a pejorative in today’s world.
We are taught to deny our self-interest and invoke "saving the world" as
our only motivation. In this context, it can be jarring to hear Ramon y Cajal encourage ambition.
Getting real about ambition leads to a difficult thought loop. Your
dopamine will droop because you don’t always make progress. Your
oxytocin will sag when the herd shuns your big-hairy-audacious goal.
Your serotonin dips when you face stronger rivals. Thus, in the short
run, the illusion of "saving the word" can feel better than
persevering in steps of your own choosing.
But action-steps toward goals are what make your inner mammal feel
good. Real steps toward real goals stimulate happy chemicals. You
deprive yourself of good feelings when you limit yourself to goals that
come easily and keep you safely in the herd.
Ramon y Cajal does not advocate a reclusive life in the lab. On the
contrary– he advocates having a family and a profession. He thinks your
passion project benefits from continual contact with the world outside
your lab.
It’s hard to do everything, of course. When I feel overwhelmed, I
remind myself that my brain evolved for just such difficult trade-offs. A
gazelle’s brain is constantly choosing its next step: one moment
stepping toward greener pasture and the next moment stepping back toward
the safety of the herd. If every ungulate can do this, I can do it too.
I’m sure Ramon y Cajal would agree.
Your Career Brain vs. Your Mammal Brain
We do not consciously seek dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin when we
make our career choices. The mammal brain cannot process language, so it
does not report these motives in words. Your verbal brain finds lofty
ways to explain the things you do for dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin.
These chemicals are not designed to flow all the time for no reason.
They are only released when a mammal takes a step that meets a survival
need. We are designed to live with ups and downs in our happy
chemicals. Every career path has its ups and downs.
Every career has its predators, its fickle herds, and its unexpected
obstacles. Bad feelings are inevitable on the road to a goal. It’s
impossible to make progress every moment and enjoy a constant dopamine
high. It’s impossible to have the support of others every moment and
enjoy a constant oxytocin high. It’s impossible to see yourself in the
position of strength every moment and enjoy a constant serotonin
high. When you know the true source of your ups and downs, they are
easier to manage.
But life is complicated because our brain equates disappointment with
survival threat. A lion's cortisol surges when it sees a gazelle get
away. Cortisol alerts the lion to the threat of starvation if it doesn't
find prey it can catch. Cortisol motivates the lion to give up on a
failed catch and find a better prospect. When you fail at something,
cortisol makes it feel like a survival threat. Just thinking about the
possibility of failure can turn on that alarm signal. Cortisol motivates
you to do whatever it takes to make it stop. Giving up on your goal may
make it stop. And sometimes you need to give up on a failed chase. It's
a difficult choice, but we have more neurons than a lion or a gazelle
to weigh the risks and rewards with. Advice for a Young Investigator can help you integrate immediate feedback with long-run goals so your inner mammal can enjoy forward steps.
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