My top dopamine-boosting morning routine
We often underestimate how much our morning rituals will set the tone for the rest of the day. When you prioritize activities that trigger a natural dopamine release, you’re not only waking up, you’re actually giving your brain a head start in feeling motivated and balanced.
“Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical released by brain cells, and is often involved in motivation, learning and reinforcement,” he says. Mia Sovieroneuroscience researcher doing research NYU Langone Health and Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute.
“It’s not just about feeling good. It’s mostly about learning and motivating you. So it helps our brain understand which actions are worth repeating and what habits we need to have and strengthen in our lives,” says Soviero, who also founded the nonprofit. Research Girl Inc. To help promising science researchers obtain more opportunities in their fields of interest.
A common misconception is that dopamine levels always need to be elevated, Soviero says: Neurotransmitter levels need to fluctuate.
“We don’t want to have really high dopamine levels all the time, but we do want to have a healthy dopamine system,” he says. “You just want to create these good patterns in dopamine where dopamine can be released as it should.”
Here’s how Soviero structures his mornings to keep his dopamine system healthy.
A neuroscience researcher’s dopamine-boosting morning routine
Step 1: Exposure to sunlight
Soviero’s ideal morning routine for the best mood starts the night before: Getting enough sleep sets the tone for the next day, he explains.
“When I wake up in the morning, I make sure I’m exposed to some light,” she says later. “It has been scientifically proven that opening your curtains in the morning and letting the sunlight on your face for a few minutes actually reduces depressive symptoms. especially if you have seasonal depression“
Exposure to sunlight directly affects the area of your brain that controls your body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm. Harvard Health Publishing.
Not getting enough exposure to sunlight each day “can cause your brain to produce too much of the sleep hormone melatonin and less of serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical that affects mood. Is this the result of a chemical imbalance? You feel groggy and lethargic,” the health blog says.
Step 2: Sudoku
Soviero makes time in the morning to do “small, meaningful activities,” like completing the daily Sudoku puzzle.
“Doing a puzzle is a great way to start the day with a little dopamine. It’s the feel-good chemical of accomplishment.” [it]”Novelty and new things that you don’t expect to be good can increase dopamine levels in the brain and contribute to dopamine health. That’s why puzzles are great.”
Soviero says solving crosswords and physical puzzles can have the same effects on your brain: The brain has a reward system that increases dopamine “It decreases when something good happens unexpectedly and then something worse happens than expected.”
“This means, evolutionarily, that we will strive for goals in the hope that this feel-good chemical will be received as a reward,” he says. “So when you do something, [like] “When you learn a new skill and become surprisingly good at it, you get a rush of dopamine.”
Step 3: Send a message to a friend
Every morning, Soviero practices a simple and meaningful form of social connection: texting a friend. “I will send a message to my friends [like]’Hello, good morning. “How are you today?” he says.
“Humans are biologically predisposed to connect,” Soviero adds. “When you make that human connection, it’s scientifically proven to elevate your mood because that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Spending too much time not interacting with close loved ones, such as friends and family, can harm your health, he says. Being socially isolated and feeling lonely can increase a person’s risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, and other chronic conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Connecting with others is “really healthy, not only for your brain, but also for your body,” Soviero says.
Want to give your kids the ultimate advantage? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course, How to Raise Financially Smart Kids?. Learn how to create healthy financial habits today to prepare your children for greater success in the future. Use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 30% off. Offer valid from December 8 to December 22, 2025. Terms apply.
