I’ve devoted most of this chapter, not to mention this book, to discussing the forces that elevate us to new heights of stimulation and anxiety—including chronic stress, the accomplishment mindset, the mindset of more, and superstimuli.

Research shows that three factors influence the size of the dopamine hit we get: Novelty. How surprising and unexpected something is to us. Direct effect. The extent to which a stimulus tangibly and directly influences our life, or how much it matters to us. This is also referred to as saliency. Genetics. Some of us are simply predisposed to

We get used to what we enjoy, and abundance does not guarantee enjoyment.

When something is scarce, our brain perceives it as valuable. When it’s abundant, our brain expects it and calibrates back to our previous baseline level of happiness, a phenomenon called hedonic adaptation.

Identify and adopt more well-rounded activities.

In this way, objects of attention lower down on this chart don’t just lead to productivity and meaning—they help us feel happy and calm. They’re also more active and less passive.

three rules are worth following when it comes to time with others:

Events that don’t touch your life or affect those you care about or the communities you serve—particularly events that are outside of your control—are generally not worth tending to. Deliberately consuming less digital information helps you shrink your surface area of concern, which leads you to be exposed to less chronic stress.

The best parts of the digital world serve as value adds to our analog environment. This is especially true when a digital service: saves us time (e.g., booking travel, getting directions, or messaging someone we’re about to meet up with); adds features to our analog lives (e.g., calling an Uber or minding our activity with a fitness tracker so we