Brain doctor says one surprising high-achiever habit may be fueling burnout

Burnout can look different for different individuals, and while it may seem that the problem is in the body, it is not completely true. The body might indeed be running short of energy, but the actual cause behind a burnout lies in a part of the brain, as brain doctor Cheng Ruan (@cheng_ruan_md) described in an April 18 Instagram reel. Calling out high achievers, Ruan debunked the biggest myth that keeps high achievers trapped. His video was viewed more than 740,000 times, leaving many viewers exposed and heard.

Seeing problems everywhere

Most people, Ruan said, assume that the answer is obvious. "It’s not about working too hard. It’s about how their brain becomes addicted to solving problems rather than achieving success," he said. People start working harder, unbeknownst to the fact that the actual problem is with what is happening inside their brains. “The real problem is that their brain has become addicted to solving problems, not to achieving success, even though they think they are,” explained the doctor.

The mystery, as he described, lies in how this chemical called “dopamine” is processed inside the brain. “A high-achiever’s brain gets hit from dopamine, not from the win itself, but from the actual struggle. It’s a process of overcoming,” he revealed. When the challenge becomes the reward, the brain becomes hijacked and addicted to the hit of this reward, which is essentially more struggle, more stress.

The brain's trap

“When there is no problem to solve, the brain essentially goes into withdrawal, and this is a trap,” said Ruan. It is the same reason why vacations can feel stressful for high-achievers, because their brain is screaming for a problem to solve. “Stillness feels agitating, not restful,” as the doctor put it. Reinforcing the insight, he explained that the burnout is not simply about doing too much, but it’s really “about the brain that has forgotten how to simply be.”

Burnout is just a symptom

A study published in World Psychiatry defined burnout as a “three-dimensional psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors.” When a person experiences these stressors regularly or for a prolonged period, it puts their brain in a hyperactive mode that later manifests into overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism, and detachment from the environment.

The state is linked more to the stressors in the environment than to individual pathology. Cleveland Clinic recommends a list of stress-relieving activities one can indulge in when grappling with burnout, including journaling, sharing feelings with others, getting professional help, and practicing good sleep habits, among others.

Most viewers were stunned by the doctor's revelation, and some even felt recognized. @daimon_hq 5 said, "Omg, called me out with the vacation example." 2015itsme 6 commented, "Wow. This is ME! As someone with ADHD, I feel like my brain is even more susceptible to latching on to any way to get dopamine. Advice on breaking the cycle?"

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