By Daniel G. Amen, MD
Your brain is always listening to Scheming Dragons—advertisers, news feeds, social media sites, and the gadgets in your pockets—that steal your mind and money. We live in a time when Scheming Dragons are on the loose. They are everywhere, deviously sending you messages that feed your inner dragons (the dragons that breathe fire on your emotional brain) and make you fat, depressed, and feebleminded. There are the foot-long hot dogs at the ballpark, the huge meal portions at restaurants, the food pushers who ask us to supersize everything for less money, and the billboards hyping monster foods that will kill you early.
Scheming Dragons are everywhere, trying to make money off your impulses, even if in the near future, it fuels your inner dragons—such as the
Anxious Dragons, Angry Dragons, Hopeless Dragons, Inferior Dragons, Flawed Dragons—or the
Bad Habit Dragons.
The Scheming Dragons use sophisticated neuroscience to get you hooked on whatever they’re selling. They capitalize on the latest research on habits and addiction to make your brain crave their products and services and to automate their use, so you don’t even think about what you’re doing.
In my new book,
Your Brain Is Always Listening, I introduce you to 5 of the worst Scheming Dragons.
5 Scheming Dragons That Steal Your Mind
1. Food Pusher Dragons
It’s nearly impossible to avoid Food Pusher Dragons. They are everywhere trying to entice you to eat food that will steal your focus, make you feel sluggish, put you on a mood roller coaster, and trigger your Bad Habit Dragons. Even during the pandemic, when many places were off-limits, the Food Pusher Dragons found new ways to hook you as grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries promised to deliver the addictive fare you crave.
When your brain gives in to the Food Pusher Dragons, it means you’re fueling your brain and body with the ingredients that lead to obesity/diabesity and that feed your inner dragons.
2. Substance and Toxin Pusher Dragons
When you think of drug pushers, you probably think of back-alley dope dealers. But there are many kinds of Substance Pusher Dragons who are selling
drugs that can have negative consequences on brain health. For example, physicians are now prescribing legalized marijuana and CBD (cannabidiol, one of the ingredients of the marijuana and hemp plants) oil to treat symptoms of anxiety, depression, irritability, and aggression even though there’s a scarcity of scientific research on it.
Toxin Pusher Dragons are also in your local grocery store and they sell skincare and cosmetics that promise to make you look more attractive and more youthful.
When your brain is always listening to the Substance and Toxin Pusher Dragons, it can lead to the misguided belief that a substance or pill alone can solve your health issues, clean your house, or make you look and feel better. These substances and products, whether directly damaging or secretly damaging, can give you brain fog,
anxiety,
depression, and
memory loss, and set you up for addiction.
3. Digital Dragons
Technology companies, video-game developers, app creators, news companies, social networks, entertainment providers, and porn sites—have hijacked our brains, stolen our attention, and hooked us on their gadgets, games, and streaming services. These Digital Dragons are winning the war for your attention by using a laundry list of proven marketing strategies.
When your brain is always listening to the distressing News Monger Dragons, for example, it increases anxiety, depression, and
stress. In a
survey from the American Psychological Association, 56% percent of people said that regularly following the news causes stress. Over time, elevated stress hormones shrink the major memory centers in your brain, increase inflammation, and put excessive fat around your waist.
4. Contact Sports Dragons
Your brain is soft and your skull is hard.
Head injuries, even mild ones that occurred decades earlier, are a major cause of depression, addictions, and memory problems. A study from the
Mayo Clinic found that one-third of people who played football at any level had lasting brain damage.
When your brain is always listening to the Contact Sports Dragons, you believe that playing football and other sports is “not that bad” and that head injuries won’t cause lasting problems. This is a lie. Concussions, even ones that don’t cause you to blackout, can cause depression,
anger, anxiety, memory loss, confusion, and more.
5. Holiday Dragons
What could seem more festive and friendly than Holiday Dragons? These beasts promote holiday cheer and family togetherness, but they often end up causing stress, overspending, bad health, excessive drinking, and
suicidal thoughts.
When your brain is always listening to the Holiday Dragons, you feel pressure to overeat, overspend, and overextend yourself. It can all lead to stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, weight gain, and trouble in your relationships.
In my new book,
Your Brain Is Always Listening, I show you how to outfox all of these Scheming Dragons with 5 simple steps.
Your Brain Is Always Listening is written by psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and New York Times bestselling author Daniel G. Amen, MD. In this book, Dr. Amen equips you with powerful weapons to battle the inner dragons that are breathing fire on your brain, driving unhealthy behaviors, and robbing you of your joy and contentment. Order your copy here.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of Amen Clinics patients who have already tamed their dragons and overcome their symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, and more, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. 
