COMPLIMENTS the Reward System in 4 Steps and 3 Seconds

Research shows that NEURONS that FIRE TOGETHER, WIRE TOGETHER … that’s how LEARNING happens, it’s how HABITS develop… it’s how any species SURVIVES… and the FUEL for all that FIRING and WIRING is a chemical called DOPAMINE… the fastest way to trigger Dopamine release in the brain is to pay a Compliment. 

When we pay someone a compliment, and when we get them talking about “what they did well” they get an “achievement rush”…and a four step process begins: 1. REWARD. 2. RECOGNIZE. 3. REINFORCE. And 4. REPEAT. An incredibly powerful “feedback loop” built into our species nervous system: We will REPEAT that which is REINFORCED, and we can only reinforce that which we RECOGNIZE. This is what scientist call the REWARD SYSTEM

You can hit START on that process with the Question “What did we DO WELL?” Being specific when paying a compliment to someone else matters: Behavioral Psychologists have found that when a person can say in their own words “here’s what I’m doing that works”, it reinforces the behavior, and they will be more likely to repeat it. Research shows Recognition and Achievement are more rewarding than money to most people.

Remember: the brain has two goals: SURVIVAL and SAVING ENERGY. A species survives by REPEATING the behaviors that lead to survival. The brain is like a pharmaceutical factory and dopamine is the drug that rewards us to repeat a behavior. The reward FEELS GOOD. Think of Dopamine as a chemical that drives the pursuit of better. Some scientists even called it “the Molecule of More.” 

You can trigger the release of Dopamine in anyone’s brain including your own in less than three seconds by doing three things …look up… breathe… and smile…. Smiling is both a form of RECOGNITION and the outward manifestation of LIKING”…  and looking up, raising your eyes up, and talking a deep breath, are actions that trigger dopamine release.  

A shortcut to survival AND increasing engagement is knowing that the people we are with LIKE US.  Now take this tip and BE INTENTIONAL in LOOKING FOR THE GOOD around you this week, RECOGNIZE what is working, REINFORCE why those things work, so that those things can become REPEATED.