MANNERS AS DOPAMINE
“manners = giving dopamine. give it freely. it always returns.”
The Lesson
Reframe manners as dopamine exchange. When you smile, say please/thank you, hold the door, shake hands, or show appreciation. You're giving someone a tiny dopamine hit. Your job is to deliver, not receive. Once you see manners this way, you know exactly what to do. You'll be immediately rewarded too-people respond to good manners, and it comes back through karma or direct contact. It's almost impossible to give without getting something back. Manners aren't phony tradition; they're a delivery system for happy chemicals.
Real-World Example
A founder used to see 'thank you' as social obligation. They reframe: every 'thank you' is a dopamine hit delivered. They start being more generous with appreciation-thanking the barista by name, acknowledging the intern's help explicitly. People light up. The founder enjoys giving these micro-boosts. Six months later, they have a reputation as someone people love working with. The dopamine came back multiplied.
Watch Scott explain this lesson
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