Starters

Think quick, small tasks that fulfil that need for dopamine in a hurry. Such as:

Stretching
Playing with a pet
Enjoying a coffee
Grabbing a snack
Doing a short burst of exercise
Putting clean laundry away

Main course

Entrees, in this context, are the activities that are the most fulfilling and rewarding, and will therefore result in the biggest dopamine hit. But, they’re also the most challenging and time-consuming. Things like:

Cooking a meal
Working on a hobby
Exercising
Being creative (painting, drawing, writing, for example)

Sides

These are dopamine-releasing activities that you can engage in while completing a separate task, such as:

Listening to music
Listening to a podcast

Dessert

Screen time isn’t totally off the cards, by the way. Think of dessert as being the activities that are enjoyable but easy to overindulge in:

Using social media
Watching TV
Playing video games

Specials

These are the activities that you probably don’t do quite so frequently, perhaps along the lines of:

Getting your nails done
Eating out
Attending a concert
Getting a spa treatment
Travelling

A dopamine menu can make your days more joyful – a neuroscientist shares how to create yours