Why You’re Unhappy with Dr Loretta Breuning

My guest this week is Dr Loretta Breuning who is the author of The Happy Brain.

Loretta was on the podcast back in 2021 and that episode was one of our most popular ones with more than 2,000 downloads.  Here is the link to that podcast episode.

So she’s back by popular demand and also because she’s just released a new book with an intriguing title:-

Why You’re Unhappy:  Biology vs Politics

In this episode:-

1. Loretta's Background:
   • She is the founder of the Inner Mammal Institute.
   • Author of "Habits of a Happy Brain," focusing on boosting serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphin levels.
   • Shifted from being a college professor in social science to psychology, discovering the role of brain chemicals in animals and its relevance to human behavior.
2. Learned Skill of Happiness:
   • Challenges the notion of automatic happiness, presenting happiness as a learned skill.
   • Questions popular beliefs about automatic happiness in the state of nature and the medical model suggesting unhappiness is a disorder.
3. Default State of Unhappiness:
   • Unhappiness is described as the default state, triggered by perceived threats or obstacles to meeting needs.
4. Importance of Achievable Goals:
   • Emphasizes the importance of small, achievable goals in maintaining dopamine levels.
   • Advises against overwhelming, forever-oriented objectives.
5. Seeking Rewards and Replacements:
   • Discusses the concept of seeking rewards and replacing them when letting go of one, such as alcohol.
   • Highlights the importance of finding inherently rewarding activities.
6. Early Sobriety Blues and Projects:
   • Addresses early sobriety blues and suggests engaging in a project to maintain motivation and prevent the post-goal drop in dopamine.
7. Ongoing Support Groups:
   • Emphasizes the significance of ongoing support groups, social connections, and positive-focused communities for oxytocin release and a sense of protection.
8. Mirror Neurons:
   • Mentions the role of mirror neurons in learning from others' experiences, both positive and negative.
9. Impact of Group Dynamics:
   • Briefly discusses the impact of group dynamics, specifically the common enemy effect, on individuals' well-being.
10. Book Title - "Why You're Unhappy, Biology vs Politics":
    • Challenges the disease model of mental health.
    • Suggests happiness is a learned skill and critiques societal expectations regarding effortless happiness.
11. Antidepressants and Effortless Happiness Model:
    • Briefly touches on the reliance on antidepressants and criticizes the model suggesting happiness should come effortlessly.
12. Empowerment Through Understanding:
    • Emphasizes the importance of empowering individuals, especially young people, by teaching them that happiness is a learned skill.
    • Understanding the brain's chemical processes can lead to greater self-management and personal growth.
13. Connect with Loretta Bruening:
    • Listeners can visit her website (innermammalinstitute.org) and explore various social platforms.
    • She offers a free 5-day Happy Chemical Jumpstart providing insights into rewiring brain chemicals.

Loretta's new book is brilliant and I strongly recommend it – called "Why You’re Unhappy: Biology vs Politics"

– available on Amazon

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