Maintaining a high baseline level of dopamine, particularly through regular aerobic exercise, simplifies decision-making and facilitates taking action by improving our evaluation of the effort-to-reward ratio.

noli's read

The scientific community converges on the idea that exercise supports motivation, although the biological mechanisms are oversimplified. The distinction made by users between tonic dopamine (baseline level) and phasic dopamine (reward spikes) is widely validated by neuroscience literature, notably the work of Schultz on reward prediction error. Evidence regarding aerobic exercise indeed shows an improvement in emotional regulation and cognitive function, with effects documented in individuals with attention disorders (meta-analysis, BMC Psychiatry). However, the claim that exercise 'directly increases dopamine levels' to facilitate decision-making is a somewhat narrow mechanistic interpretation; exercise also influences the noradrenergic system and neurotrophins like BDNF, which play major roles in mental energy. The idea that motivation is solely a matter of dopamine levels is therefore an oversimplification, as human behavior also depends on complex neural circuits related to fatigue and metabolism.

the sources

1. 1r/HubermanLab