DOPAMINE: the molecule that motivates and brings us pleasure

Gold Star! Man, do I love getting a gold star for a job well done. Nothing feels better than being recognized and rewarded. It makes you feel proud. It gives you a little rush through your body. You hope to do it again and maybe get 2 gold stars the next time.

We know this as ‘that dopamine hit’!

Dopamine is this special molecule in our bodies that creates the feedback for motivation and pleasure. As human, we are pleasure seeking creatures and when we get a little taste of it, we tend to reach for more. Dopamine is that reward signal, but it isn’t the only important function in the body. Dopamine is also responsible for maintaining normal movement and balance.

How Does It Work In The Body?

There are two main neural circuits utilizing dopamine. They are the Mesocortical Limbic Pathway which controls motivation, drive and cravings. If someone has a cocaine or amphetamine addiction, this pathway is ultimately damaged. This is the pathway that helps you to pursue and reach your goals. The other is called the Nigrostriatal Pathway and it initiates movement following intention. Dopamine is produced in the hypothalamus in the brain.

Dopamine is a neuromodulator and an excitatory neurotransmitter. If it is acting as a neuromodulator, it coordinates large pools of neurons, or as a neurotransmitter, just influencing one neuron at a time.

WHAT IT IS

Everyone is unique and different human bodies require different things. Dopamine can have a range of baselines from person to person that will affect relative mood, ambition, drive and ultimately behavior. The baseline may be influenced genetically, but you can exercise this system to make your dopenergic system stronger, weaker or completely blow the whole thing up. People can slide along this continuum of dopamine since it is not a fixed system.

Your brain produces this baseline level for dopamine and when you engage in various activities your dopamine levels will go up. Dopamine begins to release when you anticipate a reward and continues until completion. This will feel good temporarily, then your dopamine levels will drop below the baseline level.

What goes up, must come down.

The greater the personal achievement, the greater elevation in dopamine levels and then the more below baseline your dopamine levels will go after the experience. These fluctuations are going to be dependent on the individual and their needs and desires.

WHAT IT DOES

Dopamine significantly regulates how you feel right now, an hour from now, how motivated you are, your level of desire, level of pleasure and your willingness to push through effort and your time perception. It is responsible for both mood and movement. It is the driver for us to seek things out that are meaningful to our personal growth and evolution. This mechanism can even create addiction to the dopamine and people will seek out dopamine spiking activities.

Some dopamine spiking activities are

-          Chocolate: raises dopamine 1.5x

-          Smoke Nicotine: 2.5x (short lived)

-          The pursuit and act of sex: 2x

-          Cocaine: 2.5x

-          Amphetamine: 10x

-          Exercise you enjoy: 2x

-          Exercise you don’t enjoy: 0x

-          Screen (depends of activity): 1-4x

In the example of Social Media…

-          Social Media: Facebook, IG, TikTok, X, Text, Pintrest…

-          You perform the action: write, share, post, comment…

-          Waiting for a reaction: like, comment, share

-          Reactions are REWARDS

And then you want to do it bigger and better next time. Again, we are pleasure seeking creatures and who doesn’t love feeling good, getting the reaction and feel that feeling in your body?! The main driver of pleasure, enjoyment, and satisfaction in an experience is, is the relative difference between the baseline and peaks of dopamine.

Dopamine is the main driver when it comes to pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction in an experience.  In its elevated levels, it will provide you with a focused, clear mind. It stimulates a sympathetic arousal because when the neuronal pools release dopamine, they co release glutamate and epinephrine, which are both excitatory neurotransmitters.

Your brain is consistently comparing current dopamine levels to previous dopamine levels to establish your mood, motivation, pleasure, enjoyment etcetera. So if you are continuously driving dopamine levels up, you will have a high baseline of dopamine levels. Which means that your life must continuously be exciting, and you continually keep ratcheting everything up, because of the comparative process.

Therefore, it doesn't matter how good you have it, you can adapt to it being better and no matter how bad it gets you can always maintain hope.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in regulating our mood, behavior, and motivation. When our dopamine levels are out of balance, it can lead to a range of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and addiction. By keeping our dopamine levels under control, we can better manage our emotional well-being and prevent any potential negative consequences. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management techniques can help regulate dopamine levels. It is important to prioritize self-care and seek professional help if needed to ensure optimal mental health and overall well-being.

At Moon Healing Studio, you will find the tools, support and education you need to find the balance and harmony in your hormone levels. Please reach out to know more at www.mlmoonstudio.com