The Positive Neurotransmitter Feedback Loop And Pain

[Jltefend]

Today I went kayaking for five hours. I have a chronic health condition which makes this amount of physical activity painful, both during and after, but I love kayaking, so I went anyway.

 

Six hours and eight ibuprofen later, I am laying in my bed, preparing for sleep, and happily imaging the next time I can go out and make myself miserable again. Which leads to my question:

 

Why in the name of all that is holy would I ever want to do this to myself again?

 

Exercise releases positive neurotransmitters, as does plentiful sunlight, time spent pursuing a hobby, and, for some (and I am one), the beauty of nature. But is a hit of dopamine really enough to make it worthwhile to me to deal with all this discomfort after? Wouldn't the pain actually act as a negative reinforcer to the behavior of kayaking for five hours? What is going on in the human brain when a person makes this pleasure for pain bargain?

[DingerM786]

Today I went kayaking for five hours. I have a chronic health condition which makes this amount of physical activity painful, both during and after, but I love kayaking, so I went anyway.

 

Six hours and eight ibuprofen later, I am laying in my bed, preparing for sleep, and happily imaging the next time I can go out and make myself miserable again. Which leads to my question:

 

Why in the name of all that is holy would I ever want to do this to myself again?

 

Exercise releases positive neurotransmitters, as does plentiful sunlight, time spent pursuing a hobby, and, for some (and I am one), the beauty of nature. But is a hit of dopamine really enough to make it worthwhile to me to deal with all this discomfort after? Wouldn't the pain actually act as a negative reinforcer to the behavior of kayaking for five hours? What is going on in the human brain when a person makes this pleasure for pain bargain?

So you like Kayaking, we both got something in common, i also like kayaking, know your question is why you should do it again when it gives you so much pain, i think you should because there something called 'FLOW STATE', when you are in a flow state, everything is gone and during that flow state you also lose any pain or stress, i think you should do some research into being in a 'flow state'