Gemma Speck

This is where we have to tackle, I think, the first big myth about the

It is the pleasure hormone.

It is the pleasure neurochemical.

This idea first emerged from some really early research back in the 70s and 80s that showed dopamine producing regions and dopamine neurons lighting up.

in response to the promise of reward.

Promise being the key word.

This kind of led the researchers who were in charge of the study to prematurely assume that this meant that dopamine was why certain things felt good and therefore why we felt good and therefore played a big role in our happiness.

This we now know is actually false.

It isn't what makes us feel pleasure.

It's what allows us to forecast or predict or imagine how good pleasure can and will feel, therefore making us chase after it.

Its role is

is in craving and anticipating.

It is the do more of that chemical.

As one article from The New Philosopher puts it, dopamine spikes when we anticipate something exciting or pleasurable happening, and it dips when the experience comes about.

So dopamine, it's really present.

It happens in the lead up to something.

And that is why it's actually critical, not for happiness, but for motivation.

Rats, for example, who have depleted dopamine levels don't work as hard to get food.

They just can't be bothered compared to normal rats.

Super high dopaminergenic people have