“The pleasure isn’t from the activity—it’s from your brain’s calculation of how much more there is to do.” ~Dr. K
Ever feel like no matter how much you accomplish, it’s never enough?
You’re not lazy or broken.
You just might be caught up in the mathematics of misery—the physics of psychology.
We’re calling this week’s episode The Denominator for a reason.
Recently, YouTube neuroscientist and psychiatristDr. K (from the HealthyGamer channel) addressed one of the most misunderstood emotional conditions today: anhedonia—the inability to feel joy in life.
His insight, after reviewing a recent study on his YouTubechannel?
TL;DR
Dopamine reward = Progress made ÷ Perceived Total Work Left
The “perceived total work left” is the DENOMINATOR.
Note: The denominator is subjective. It’s psychological. It is not absolute.
The denominator is a construct!
It lives in your head—and it's the sum total of fairly arbitrary, rapid calculations formed relative to expectations and comparisons.
Your dopamine drip isn’t based on facts—it’s based on fast mental shortcuts. That heuristic lens creates a story of overwhelm before you even question it.
In short—your chemical release is STORY-driven.
Dr. K (a Harvard-trained psychiatrist) shares this epiphany while reviewing a recent study.
And I’m sharing this with you—because this extended line of scientific research directly supports THE TRILOGY.
The DENOMINATOR plays a part in each book. 🙌
The Habit Factor® / P.A.R.R. → Daily wins reduce the psychological DENOMINATOR by chunking progress into the now—while still supporting long-term goals and momentum.
The Pressure Paradox™ → Pressure increases when the DENOMINATOR (capacity/resources) shrinks.
EVERYTHING is a STORY→ Because the DENOMINATOR is a story.
It’s not just about what you’re doing—it’s what you think remains undone.
In short, the denominator is your mental chatter—story—about everything that remains unfinished.
It’s the looming, pending, unresolved business that intensifies overwhelm and, in the process, diminishes your ability to feel good.
And when nothing feels good, people begin to shut down—motivation disappears.
This maps eerily well to a core concept within The Pressure Paradox™, where pressure—in the psychological sense—is referred to as Force divided by Area.
Yes, identical to the physics formula:
P = F / A
By the way: you’re not alone if you’re thinking, “Slow down MG, we shouldn’t be conflating physics and psychology!”
DeepSeek AI said the same thing to me. (bottom.)
InThe Pressure Paradox™, the denominator—Area—represents one’s available resources: skills, time, energy, capacity, money, other people, etc.
The smaller the denominator, the greater the pressure. The larger it is, the more the force is diffused—and thus, the pressure is mitigated.
When anyone is short on time, energy—even emotional bandwidth— and staring down a mountain of unmet goals—PRESSURE spikes.
Their story? One of insufficiency.
Anhedonia and the Hidden Math of Misery:
Since we think predominantly in terms of stories (see EVERYTHING), our brains script everything in real-time—call it “Thought 2.0.”
According to the study Dr. K references, dopamine release is based on this calculation:
Progress ÷ Perceived Total Work
Perceived being the operative word.
If you believe you have 30 units to address and you’ve only made 1 unit of progress, his point is clear: The dopamine release is marginal—1/30.
The larger the denominator—the imagined, storied workload—the flatter and more joyless the experience becomes.
Here’s where things get interesting.
P.A.R.R. = Dichotomy Collapse
(Bridging Present & Future)
How often do we talk about dichotomous thinking on this show?
Almost as much as we talk about P.A.R.R.
It turns out, P.A.R.R. addresses this precise phenomenon: The tension between being present and active (low denominator) and planning for a future goal (big denominator).
Dr. K shows how an oversized denominator—thinking in massive time scales like years or decades, paired with big goals—kills dopamine release and leaves one feeling numb.
I just heard from a father at lunch yesterday about his son:
“It’s tough for him to be motivated. He keeps saying he’ll never make enough money to afford a home… never.”
A ridiculously long, imaginedtimeframe—a denominator—filled with stories of futility.
Imagine how this young man’s STORY reverberates through his Behavior Echo-System™ influencing his emotions and feelings as well as his behavior.
Needless to say, a dopamine downer.
P.A.R.R., THF’s process for habit formation addresses this dilemma head on!
It shifts that unsurmountable thinking from “impossible” to simply directional—that’s the destination.
AND, today, we made progress. ✅
Following P.A.R.R., the denominator becomes just the Target Day plus MSC (Minimum Success Criteria). That’s it!
P.A.R.R. encourages you to hold a long-term vision andstay grounded in today’s focused action.
By checking off our habits in the present, YOU feel great, stay present, AND move toward long-term goals.
The denominator is reduced to the DAY—while we hold on to the long-term vision.
Share this post
The Denominator
Share this post
Mind Bullet Monday: The Denominator » The Habit Mastery Workshop
Ever feel like no matter how much you accomplish, it’s never enough?
You’re not lazy or broken.
You just might be caught up in the mathematics of misery—the physics of psychology.
We’re calling this week’s episode The Denominator for a reason.
Recently, YouTube neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. K (from the HealthyGamer channel) addressed one of the most misunderstood emotional conditions today: anhedonia—the inability to feel joy in life.
His insight, after reviewing a recent study on his YouTube channel?
TL;DR
Dopamine reward = Progress made ÷ Perceived Total Work Left
The “perceived total work left” is the DENOMINATOR.
Note: The denominator is subjective. It’s psychological. It is not absolute.
The denominator is a construct!
It lives in your head—and it's the sum total of fairly arbitrary, rapid calculations formed relative to expectations and comparisons.
Your dopamine drip isn’t based on facts—it’s based on fast mental shortcuts. That heuristic lens creates a story of overwhelm before you even question it.
In short—your chemical release is STORY-driven.
Dr. K (a Harvard-trained psychiatrist) shares this epiphany while reviewing a recent study.
And I’m sharing this with you—because this extended line of scientific research directly supports THE TRILOGY.
The DENOMINATOR plays a part in each book. 🙌
The Habit Factor® / P.A.R.R. → Daily wins reduce the psychological DENOMINATOR by chunking progress into the now—while still supporting long-term goals and momentum.
The Pressure Paradox™ → Pressure increases when the DENOMINATOR (capacity/resources) shrinks.
EVERYTHING is a STORY→ Because the DENOMINATOR is a story.
Checkout his the study on his YouTube channel!
continued…
It’s not just about what you’re doing—it’s what you think remains undone.
In short, the denominator is your mental chatter—story—about everything that remains unfinished.
It’s the looming, pending, unresolved business that intensifies overwhelm and, in the process, diminishes your ability to feel good.
And when nothing feels good, people begin to shut down—motivation disappears.
This maps eerily well to a core concept within The Pressure Paradox™, where pressure—in the psychological sense—is referred to as Force divided by Area.
Yes, identical to the physics formula:
P = F / A
By the way: you’re not alone if you’re thinking, “Slow down MG, we shouldn’t be conflating physics and psychology!”
DeepSeek AI said the same thing to me. (bottom.)
In The Pressure Paradox™, the denominator—Area—represents one’s available resources: skills, time, energy, capacity, money, other people, etc.
The smaller the denominator, the greater the pressure. The larger it is, the more the force is diffused—and thus, the pressure is mitigated.
When anyone is short on time, energy—even emotional bandwidth— and staring down a mountain of unmet goals—PRESSURE spikes.
Their story? One of insufficiency.
Anhedonia and the Hidden Math of Misery:
Since we think predominantly in terms of stories (see EVERYTHING), our brains script everything in real-time—call it “Thought 2.0.”
According to the study Dr. K references, dopamine release is based on this calculation:
Progress ÷ Perceived Total Work
Perceived being the operative word.
If you believe you have 30 units to address and you’ve only made 1 unit of progress, his point is clear: The dopamine release is marginal—1/30.
The larger the denominator—the imagined, storied workload—the flatter and more joyless the experience becomes.
Here’s where things get interesting.
P.A.R.R. = Dichotomy Collapse
(Bridging Present & Future)
How often do we talk about dichotomous thinking on this show?
Almost as much as we talk about P.A.R.R.
It turns out, P.A.R.R. addresses this precise phenomenon: The tension between being present and active (low denominator) and planning for a future goal (big denominator).
Dr. K shows how an oversized denominator—thinking in massive time scales like years or decades, paired with big goals—kills dopamine release and leaves one feeling numb.
I just heard from a father at lunch yesterday about his son:
A ridiculously long, imagined timeframe—a denominator—filled with stories of futility.
Imagine how this young man’s STORY reverberates through his Behavior Echo-System™ influencing his emotions and feelings as well as his behavior.
Needless to say, a dopamine downer.
P.A.R.R., THF’s process for habit formation addresses this dilemma head on!
It shifts that unsurmountable thinking from “impossible” to simply directional—that’s the destination.
AND, today, we made progress. ✅
Following P.A.R.R., the denominator becomes just the Target Day plus MSC (Minimum Success Criteria). That’s it!
P.A.R.R. encourages you to hold a long-term vision and stay grounded in today’s focused action.
By checking off our habits in the present, YOU feel great, stay present, AND move toward long-term goals.
The denominator is reduced to the DAY—while we hold on to the long-term vision.
Nothing is surrendered.
For 15+ years, P.A.R.R. we’ve been helping people bridge this gap—and, according to science, addressing the denominator too! 🙌
Get after it—happy threadular Thursday!
Keep on trackin’ ✅
~mg
To listen to this episode:
https://habits2goals.substack.com/p/the-denominator
Chances are, you know someone who needs a little or a lot H2G!
Share
Thanks for reading. 🙏🏼 Ready to level up? Click here to upgrade.
GOOD HABITS HAPPEN WHEN PLANNED;
BAD HABITS HAPPEN ON THEIR OWN.
🙌 That’s right! You can get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goals
New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templates
Podcast → Subscribe iTunes, Android
*Awarded: “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation”* International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.