Dopamine in 2025
- Erin Barnes
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
Contrary to the hype, dopamine isn’t about “addiction” or “good vs bad.”
It’s a neutral mechanism. It simply rewards whatever you repeat.
At the core is the mesocorticolimbic pathway, a neural circuit that links desire, drive, learning, and reward. Dopamine is the key neurotransmitter in this system, reinforcing the behaviours we consistently associate with satisfaction or relief.
But right now, for many of us, the strongest loops are built around tech scrolling, notifications and instant gratification.
Re-witing is critical in reshaping the concerning societal norms and mental, physical and social complaints.
Short-term dopamine - from fast content and digital hits, trains the brain to seek stimulation, not depth.
It fragments focus, weakens cognitive stamina, and over time, impacts both performance and mental health.
Growth-based dopamine - from learning, deep work, or skill development, strengthens the same system, but in ways that build capability, resilience, and long-term motivation.
The latter is a harder choice in the moment.
But over time, it’s the one that shapes productivity, wellbeing, fulfilment, social connection, and human potential.
For the growing number of individuals with ADHD, this distinction is critical. Growth-based loops support sustained attention and reduce the mental fatigue that comes with constant switching.
In addition, when I look under the bonnet of many workplaces that declare 'high-performance', they’re often fast-moving, but the people are distracted, cortisol-dominant, and honest about their reliance on short-term dopamine choices.
They’ve got the perks, but not the practices that actually support human sustainability and high-performance.
At A Human Edge, we're not just qualified in HR and recruitment.
We deliver in-house human sustainability coaching, from decades of science-based education, and through our proprietary biopsychosocial and neurobehavioural approach, to help teams:
Ditch short-term dopamine perks and habits, and fuel an upward trajectory of human potential
Move from splatter-gun wellbeing and performance tactics to individualised, values-aligned strategies with long-term impact
Shift from fractured attention to focused progress
Move from surface satisfaction to meaningful momentum and engagement
We believe this is the way forward for people operations models.
