“Dopamine has the ability to buffer noradrenaline. So that stress that you feel when you’re in effort [related to noradrenaline], it is very hard for most people to keep that going. But when you get an [internal release of dopamine] because you get a sense that you’re on the right path … you gain a chemical advantage. … What actually causes quitting? When do we decide that something is futile? And it turns out that for every bit of effort … they’re are little bits of noradrenaline that are released in the brain and body. … Dopamine pushes back that level of noradrenaline and it gives you more gas.”
Andrew Huberman, Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, “Joe Rogan Experience #1513 – Andrew Huberman“
Although this quote seems to be mostly in the context of physical effort, I have little doubt it applies to mental effort as well.
I wonder how it applies to ADHD and the ability to focus, as well as Flow. I have heard it said by Merlin Mann that ADHD is an anxiety disorder; This axis of dopamine/noradrenaline may explain why that is the case or why dopamine-increasing medications work. I also believe that this continues to indicate why Flow is so important as it pertains to focus, goal setting, and willpower.