Dopamines, Between Pleasure And Motivation

We will start by giving a simple example about the complex magic of dopamines : we are in love, surrounded by that heady sensation of placidity and intensity, where emotions are always on the surface. Dopamines secrete in our brain that substance that pushes us to do things to support our partner, to seduce her and to get her affection every day.

This whole circle gives us a positive addiction where love tends to turn on the same neural structures that we would feel if we took an opiate, where dopamines are also related. Now, if this relationship is broken, if we leave our commitment to the loved one, our brain will continue to generate more dopamine, since it is an adversity where these neurotransmitters continue to push the brain to “seek the goal ”. It is an indispensable piece that greases our motivation every day, but be careful, it gives us the same perseverance whether the objective is positive or negative.

THE DOUBLE FACE OF DOPAMINS

There is normally a widely held belief that dopamines exclusively regulate pleasure and reward, and that it is precisely when we achieve the goal that dopamine is secreted. But that reality is not exact: this neurotransmitter acts previously, it is he who pushes us in search of the goal, that partner, that job, that particular reward.
Scientists also investigate the fact why it also pushes us to look for things that are sometimes negative for us, such as drug use. But there is still more, even in stressful situations we release dopamine: we are exhausted and yet we continue to go to work, taking care of that family member who has Alzheimer’s, we are still immersed in that circle in which despite suffering, an inner force continues to push us in search of “something”, motivating us to act in one direction or another.

DOPAMINES AND DEPRESSION

At this point you will surely have noticed a fact: there are people much more motivated than others, people who are more persistent in pursuing their goals than those who are more patient. Hence, scientists and neurobiologists have addressed this question to find out, for example, what parameters make people motivated by certain aspects of their life, such as education, work or health, in order to cope with pathologies such as depression or “energy” or lack of energy.

And it is that these states such as depression, surround us in a very clear feeling of apathy, any effort is almost impossible, any hope to project something on the horizon is diffuse and even painful … our dopamine levels are negligible and we lack motivation some. Likewise, the lack of energy is also related to states of mental fatigue such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia.

In contrast to this, it is curious to point out, for example, that there are people who neurologically have an excess of this neurotransmitter, they are profiles used to continuously seeking emotions, an almost compulsive perseverance where it is sometimes related to certain addictions.
Dopamine is therefore a peculiar double-edged elixir that is essential to keep us alive, because being motivated every day is an essential part of the human being, but yes, we must always have a balance of this neurotransmitter: an excess will lead us to be ones Thrill seekers without too much fear of the consequences, while a deficit, a lack of dopamine, can lock us in the fearsome cell of depression.

The world of neurobiology is undoubtedly as complex as it is fascinating.