A Cool Experiment to Try

(L-R) Carl, Dennis, Mike, Al, Brian

Defeating the dopamine chase requires focused awareness of whatever you're doing in the here and now. Here's a fun exercise that not only helps you get better at this skill, it also reminds you of just how much joy exists in the moment-to-moment.

This is "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys. You've heard it a thousand times. This time, pay attention to what you're hearing. Do not look at the video part. That'll just distract you. Listen. Here's what to do so you'll be in the moment and appreciate this true modern classic in a whole new way:

• Listen for an individual instrument. Follow the instrument for at least a few seconds. Switch around.

• Listen for the instruments you had been tuning out just now. Now follow one of them.

• Consider which instrument is louder and which is softer. Consider how they sound together, and if you've heard anything like that before.

• Whisper a line or two of lyric to yourself. What does it make you think of? Does it take you to a memory? Does it evoke a feeling? Let yourself feel that feeling. See where it takes you.

• Notice when what you're listening to changes in a significant way. Here's a hint: this song is written in three movements. If you're into classical music, consider what "Good Vibrations" has in common with a concerto, which showcases virtuosity, and a sonata, which emphasizes structural elegance.

• Listen for unusual sounds, such as the wavy-sounding theremin.

• Note when there is percussion and when there is not.

• Think how the melody and chords comport with the meaning of the words.

In other words, don't just listen. Pay attention to the music in the here and now. I'm not saying this is how we should listen to all music, all the time. But paying attention in the here and now can reveal so much richness and depth--and therefore appreciation and pleasure--in the things we no longer notice.

This is a major step in taming the molecule of more.