Ulysses and the Sirens – Picture taken from Wikipedia (Ulysses pact)

An old folklore that speaks of the infamous Greek king, Ulysses, a cunning yet intelligent man that sparked the event of the Trojan War. It was believed that seamen were lured to its doom through the songs of sirens, where it is said they hold impeccable beauty that no man can resist. While Ulysses wanted to hear the voice of sirens, he was fearful of a doomed fate if he was lured by the sirens. Hence, he instructed his men to tie him tight to the ship’s mast, and by no order free him, while the seamen stuffed their ears with beeswax, as they made their way past the sirens’ island on an expedition. Lo and behold, the songs of siren captivated him, bewitched by the sirens’ voice and beauty. He struggled to break free with all his might, only to find his flesh cutting deep into the ropes. And when finally the songs of sirens are far and beyond to an inaudible echo, his crew finally freed him. 

This story is one that illustrates the science behind delayed gratification, and explains why addiction and the uncontrolled pursuit for pleasure manifests itself in a harmful way. In this 21st century, we are so often over-stimulated such that our brain naturally enters a dopamine deregulation phase that aims to restore homeostatic balance. It is a doom loop of ever increasing dopamine seeking pleasures that takes addiction up a notch, just to obtain the same “pleasurable effects”. 

Dr Anna Lembke, an American psychiatrist who is the Chief of Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University, brought up an interest analogy that describes the science behind addiction. Our brain works like a seesaw, where the little gremlins sit on the other side of it trying to balance out excessive pleasure with undesirable effects (Taber, 2022). In a classic case of late night scrolling on social media, we slowly find ourselves becoming more and more immersed. Unknowingly, we have begun to increase the frequency and duration without realising that it has ingrained into habit, only to find ourselves struggling to obtain the same satisfaction of scrolling pleasure and stimulation. It explains why addicts will strive to do whatever they can, to chemically alter and reinstate their effects of euphoria. The doom loop then begets itself through the incessant pursuit of pleasure from a dopamine-deprived brain. This is perhaps why there is an increasing number of people who are having anxiety attacks, restlessness & depression.

Now if we look from the other side of the seesaw, as we strive towards pain (such as exercise), the natural counter effects of our hormonal regulating brain is to produce dopamine (Lembke, 2021). This is why post workouts often “feel good”, and it is clinically evident that exercise does produce dopamine. It is also an example of how “delayed gratification” can be good for us. This brings about the idea of a “Ulysses contract”, just as how Ulysses tied himself up, we can set rules and boundaries to our future self in a bid of a delayed gratification by doing what you hate right now. As such, the “narrow & arduous path that leads to heaven” isn’t just a literal biblical understanding of salvation, but very much the practicality of our everyday lives where we ought to choose pain first. This is one way to radically alter what was perceived as the doom loop, to set in motion a flywheel where every “tomorrow” would eventually be an easier day. 

Establishing our Ulysses Contract

What might have started as a dream or a goal, might have faltered along the way with a huge inertia to overcome when we try to start over. A common challenge would be the incorporation of exercise routine into our daily lives. It is completely human, and for vast reasons, we may find it hard to adopt a new lifestyle which we potentially may find discomfort and inconveniences. Perhaps, what is lacking is an established contractual agreement with self, when it comes to conforming to a workout plan that is designed. This agreement is none other than a Ulysses contract that is formed with a promise to our future self. However, for it to be relevant, these are some of the factors involved. 

• It must be realistic

Our goal should involve a ramp up routine that is realistic for us to adopt, especially in the case of exercise plan. While we do want to achieve certain standards by imagining our future ideal self, we have to break it down into small successes that is obtainable on a weekly basis. These are part of the grand plan in which broken down details need to be included. It is highly recommended to engage a certified trainer to obtain insights on a personalised exercise routine suited to your needs.

• There must be an end goal

A contractual agreement with future self can only be effective if there is a set duration that comes to a distinct conclusion at a future dated time. This is a discipline that we ought to adopt, or else the danger of procrastination would easily creep in. Likewise, end goals are required to be realistic and attainable, with sub-goals documented into plan as well as we hit key milestones. A distinct end goal will help to drive a clear purpose of the Ulysses contract.

• Consequences must be understood

Just as how Ulysses set himself to gaze upon the sight of the sirens, he is well aware of the consequences and communicated his plan to be kept restrained throughout the entire duration while passing through sirens’ island. The same analogy that could be applied, where consequences are firstly understood and respected, while communicating out to our community that would eventually support our cause. The classic case of a New Year’s resolution that is often easily swept under the rug, is one fine example where we set out for ourselves a promise that we conveniently procrastinate to the following year. The plan isn’t concrete and intentional, with consequences poorly understood. 

• It must be voluntary

None of the above points would come into fruition if a Ulysses contract is drawn out without personal conviction. A training can come from a trainer, a diet plan can come from a nutritionist. However, the ultimate agreement to enter into the promise of a better outcome through a pain that we have to undertake, has to solely come from within ourselves. This is beyond just motivation, but an adoption of thinking that discards old ways. To achieve a goal clarity that drives our conviction, we need to spend some time to learn more about health and its connection to our overall well-being. It is useful to educate ourselves, and start holding ourselves accountable to health rather than just a doctor’s responsibility. In Spand.life, we continue to publish relevant articles and information about lifestyle medicine and its concept of modifiable risk factors to our health span. 

Fortunately, we hold great influence to our health through our choices that we make over lifestyle habits. This era of science has brought forth many evidences that connects lifestyle changes to positive health outcomes, and they shouldn’t be restricted to only researchers and doctors. Follow Spand.life for more useful content in our quest for healthy longevity.

References

Taber, K. S. (2022) Neuroadaptation gremlins on the see-saw in your brain. Science-Education-Research. Available at: https://science-education-research.com/neuroadaptation-gremlins-on-the-see-saw-in-your-brain/ 

Lembke, A. (2021) Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. Dutton.