a common act with great benefits
” dopamine that’s what motivates you to go to “Seek pleasure, something that motivates you, something that allows you to be effortless.” perform certain activities. This is how Catalan neuroscientist Sarah Teller described what is considered the happiness hormone in an interview with EL ESPAÑOL | ENCLAVE TsUR. The neurotransmitter, he explained, “is released when the brain’s reward circuitry is activated and bound by desire“.
(What is dopamine and why is it so important for our well-being: its main functions)
Whenever dopamine is talked about, it has to do with happiness, with positive feelings and reactions. But Teller warned in an interview that “There is also a dark side“Because,” he assured, “this desire “I want more of what I like” can get out of control and (…) can become an addiction.”
And he gave an example of his argument: “If I get a ten in the exam, but expected a six, there is a surge of dopamine, or if I publish a post on Instagram, and it turns out that I have much more.” like than I expected because I will also get a dopamine reward. Surprises, new items, everything unexpected also causes a release of dopamine.”
What does dopamine do?
This neurotransmitter is largely associated with various body functions, such as learning, memory, movement, mood, appetite or sleep. And that’s why many people are looking for a way to activate dopamine, which is released when we feel pleasure or satisfaction.
(What functions does dopamine perform in my body and how can I increase it?)
But what can we do in everyday life to stimulate dopamine to work in our body without compromising our well-being? There is a (very) common activity that helps activate it: listening to music.
Music, the source of happiness
The reader has probably experienced this at some point: a song plays and he gets goosebumps. You feel a tingling sensation and suddenly a feeling of pleasure, relaxation and even ecstasy. The emotions that music awakens in us are largely related to dopamine.
Research published in a scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) claims that music can activate neurotransmitters responsible for happiness. Researchers have demonstrated the cause-and-effect relationship between dopamine levels and the pleasure caused by listening to music. That is, the desire to listen to a song you like every time you play it is motivated by dopamine, which the brain releases while you listen to it.
(These are 5 habits that neuroscience recommends incorporating into your daily life to be happy)
The results were clear: when one listens to pleasant music, our brain is activated, dopamine increases and the sympathetic nervous system is activated. This whole process does nothing but stimulate emotions. So some songs give us highothers upset us, and some we cannot stop listening to.