More than just a lucky charm: The versatile role of dopamine
Often referred to as the 'happy hormone', dopamine represents less immediate happiness and more the engine of our motivation and desire to repeat pleasant experiences. L'Officiel unravels the mystery surrounding dopamine and sheds light on its actual function in our nervous system.
Certain myths linger in our minds: endurance exercise is the ultimate way to lose weight, caffeinated drinks are dehydrating, and dopamine equals pleasure.
Dopamine is arguably one of the most well-known neurotransmitters, primarily because of its association with pleasure. We're all familiar with the expression "dopamine rush", which describes a flood of happiness when, for example, the long-awaited package finally arrives. It's also widely believed that dopamine is essential for experiencing pleasure - hence it is said that people with low dopamine levels experience less pleasure in life .
But that's not the case.
Apologies to anyone who proudly wears their dopamine tattoo (yes, it really does exist), but dopamine doesn't directly create pleasure. It actually plays a variety of roles in our brain, including functions related to memory, movement, attention, mood, and motivation.
In terms of our reward systems, "When we do something that gives us pleasure, dopamine basically sends us a message: 'That was fun, let's do it again.'" So it initiates the repetition of a pleasurable behaviour in the brain, without causing the pleasure itself. Furthermore, having low dopamine levels doesn't necessarily mean you lose the ability to feel happiness . In fact, it tends to make you less motivated to work for things or make efforts, as various studies have shown.
Dopamine actually has more to do with motivating and reinforcing behavioral patterns, so we should ditch the moniker "happiness hormone" for good.
To put this in context, imagine you tried a new dessert recipe and it wowed you with how amazing it tasted. That sweet, contented feeling you feel is pleasure. However, the desire to make that recipe again causes the dopamine. It motivates and reinforces the behaviour that led to that joy. It acts more like a personal coach, encouraging us to revisit experiences we have enjoyed. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to refer to dopamine as a "motivational molecule". It spurs us on and strengthens the pursuit of positive experiences rather than direct joy.
The scientific reality is that dopamine is an essential player in a whole range of brain functions, from motor function to attention, from mood to memory, and especially motivation. It is the protagonist on our inner stage that motivates us to repeat certain actions that brought us joy. It is the silent conductor who orchestrates our reward system and the coach who encourages us to keep trying and striving for those positive experiences again.
