By Ashraf Kitaka MSc. Nutrition
The human being is one of the most amazing creations of Allah. Allah Himself testifies to this fact in the Quran, where it is written: ‘We have created man in the best of stature.’ The intricate design of the human body has fascinated scientists for generations and will continue to do so for many years to come.
The human brain, in particular, has attracted a lot of attention and has given birth to the science of neurology. The brain, which is the center of coordination of the human body, has been shown to contain billions of neural pathways. The reward pathway of the brain, which is responsible for controlling and regulating our ability to feel pleasure, has been heavily studied in recent years.
This pathway is associated with seeking the three most important rewards that life has to offer: food, water, and love mates. The rewards are regulated in a complex system that involves the hormone dopamine, a chemical that is also responsible for keeping us motivated. Optimum levels of dopamine help us to seek these natural rewards and maintain the survival of the human species. However, problems usually arise when we excessively seek out these rewards and binge on them. Dopamine levels spike and the reward system goes into overdrive.
The world today has become a precursor for excessive indulgence due to advancements in technology. A place of scarcity a few centuries ago, the world has now transformed into a place of abundance. Access to foods and drinks of infinite tastes, colors, and flavors has certainly done much to get us hooked. The infinite access to love-mates through the internet in our age is something that our ancestors would be jealous of. In addition to these natural rewards, the increasing numbers, variety, and potency of highly rewarding stimuli today are staggering.
Facebooking, Instagramming, Youtubing, Tweeting, shopping, texting, gaming, and news are highly rewarding; no wonder it is so difficult for us to detach from them. Is it possible that these stimuli are overriding our dopamine reward systems? For a moment, imagine we wanted to fix an override in the reward system of our brain and restore it to its ‘factory settings.
Our reward system would then return to a state of optimum function, keeping us motivated to seek out rewards in healthy amounts. To achieve this, our brains have to re-learn to feel pleasure from the stimulus at a low threshold. In other words, our brains re-learn to feel pleasure from eating and drinking little and seeking love-mates in healthy ways. We learn that we could still survive without overconsumption. Well, isn’t this what fasting is all about?
It is certainly no coincidence that Ramadan fasting in Islam prohibits food, drink, and love-making between spouses for twelve hours of the day. Essentially, this process helps to rewire the reward circuit in an attempt to restore it to its factory settings. Have you ever wondered why Muslims feel so energized during the holy month of Ramadan? People who felt extremely lazy before this month now all of a sudden have the ability to perform long night prayers, recite loads of Quran and supplicate abundantly.
The explanation is probably related to increased motivation as a result of dopamine returning to its optimum levels. One can now see why it is highly recommended to perform various acts of worship this month and to cut out sinful and frivolous acts. As the reward system is desensitized from the bombarding stimuli that weaken our connection with Allah, simultaneously, it is being sensitized to start feeling pleasure from acts of worship that strengthen the connection.
This process continues for 30 days. Trying to stay away from highly rewarding stimuli, as already mentioned above, would accelerate this process. Now you know why you should throw your phone in water during Ramadan… just kidding
