How do we become more emotionally intelligent? How do we set boundaries? Join me in this podcast as we explore every corner of our minds. Our mission? To live the most healthy and happy life possible.
I turned 30. This is the biggest lesson of my twenties
Hello all,
In this essay, I talk about the biggest lesson of my past decade.
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31 Mar 2026
Controlling Dopamine for Motivation, Energy, and Learning
Get your emotional intelligence score: score.sankalpgarud.orgIf we haven't met, hello I'm Sankalp, and I'm a neuroscientist. I completed my PhD in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Oxford. In this video I talk about what dopamine is, what it actually does in the brain, and how to use it for motivation, energy and well-being.0:00 – Introduction1:56 – What is dopamine?3:49 – Where does dopamine come from? (tyrosine)5:32 – Where is dopamine made in the brain?7:53 – The three dopamine pathways10:23 – What each pathway does13:02 – What does dopamine do? (overview)13:56 – Dopamine is NOT about pleasure16:35 – Study 1: Mice without dopamine still seek pleasure20:23 – Study 2: Blocking dopamine in humans22:02 – Study 3: Dopamine is linked to pain too23:24 – Dopamine and learning24:10 – The Instagram notification analogy31:32 – Dopamine encodes surprise33:32 – The math behind dopamine39:03 – The connection to AI and ChatGPT40:38 – Dopamine and motivation42:46 – The dopamine ramp45:42 – Dopamine tracks your environment49:09 – Phasic vs tonic dopamine53:44 – Opportunity cost and dopamine55:52 – My own study on social rewards57:56 – How to use dopamine practically1:02:03 – Parkinson's disease1:04:48 – Addiction1:07:12 – Schizophrenia1:09:15 – ADHD1:10:37 – How to increase dopamine1:15:39 – Tip: Food and tyrosine1:20:01 – Tip: Caffeine1:23:23 – Tip: Social connection1:25:57 – Tip: Exercise1:27:40 – Dopamine detox: does it work?1:31:58 – Tip: Meditation and yoga nidra1:33:45 – Tip: Cold showers1:35:31 – Caution: UV radiation (why more dopamine isn't always better)1:37:28 – Summary
15 Mar 2026
10 Most Asked Questions About EQ
Hey all, in this episode I answer the 10 most frequently asked questions about emotional intelligence.
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
28 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
27
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
90
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