It’s the Dopamine

Scientists have known for a long time how the release of dopamine to the brain impacts our behavior. What they haven’t explained is why certain specific stimuli cause the release of the dopamine.

The photo shows me on a boat with my son’s buddy, Dave, and I cruising a scenic river in Northern Minnesota in June 2022. This was the one and only day I spent with Dave. He’s a fellow “headbanger”.

After my son paid for a full tank of gas — $1000 worth, we began cruising the river.

Of course this boat had an awesome sound system. My host, Dave, and I had never met before but, after less than 10 minutes, we recognized that when it came to “kickin’ butt” Rock and Roll, we were kindred spirits.

That day “Thunderstruck” by AC-DC was our anthem. We played a few other “classic rock” songs, but none of them came close to triggering the level of joy and exuberance which Dave and I exhibited.

And, here’s the question that prompted the writing of this article; Why, at the age of 78, do I react to “Thunderstruck” just as I did to “Get a Job” by the Silhouettes in 1958?

I looked for cures for my curse and found the following 9 natural ways.

Eat bananas, lose weight, exercise, say “om” during prayer, get a rubdown, listen to calming music, get adequate sleep, go outside, and take nutritional substances. All of them sound doable. The rubdown sounds especially intriguing . Some are already habits for me. And, then there’s the question of timing — do I get a rubdown when AC-DC might pop up?

Looks like I’m stuck with this affliction. If “Thunderstruck” does pop up without warning, I’ll eat a banana.