Gemma Speck

This thing released as dopamine, therefore it must be addictive.

It must be motivational.

It must influence your behavior.

It must be good for you, bad for you.

It might end up controlling you.

The thing is, what I've come to realize is that our fundamental and very basic understanding of dopamine is wrong.

Maybe not wrong.

It's simplistic.

It lacks a lot of detail.

Dopamine is traditionally seen as the thing that makes us happy and brings us pleasure.

It's why we like chocolate.

It's why we like sex, drugs, gambling, all those things.

But it is much, much more layered than that.

And I think when you actually understand...

When dopamine is released in your brain, why and its role in motivation, in anticipation, movement, how it works differently in different areas of the brain and of the body, you can actually use the term properly and use it in reference to your own brain and behavior accurately.

So let's get into it.

I love starting these episodes with a bit of history.

I feel like if I was ever going to do another podcast, it would definitely be on the history of psychology or the scientific history of certain concepts that we take for granted for, because it is so fascinating and dopamine is no different.

The history behind this is just interesting.

The man who allegedly first pinpointed