this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.
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Please stop saying "dopamine" when you mean "reward".
Brains don't work like that. Nerves don't work like that.
Dopamine is indeed a chemical that brain nerves use for signaling. However, it is not used exclusively for pleasure signals. It is used for, among other things, reward-motivated behavior โ but that includes aversion, that is, avoiding things that you've learned to stay away from. That's literally the opposite of the pop-culture use of "dopamine".
The actual chemical dopamine is also used in basic motor functioning. Impairment of that dopamine pathway is involved in Parkinson's disease; and medications that increase dopamine, such as L-DOPA, are used to treat Parkinson's. These medications are not addictive drugs; thus further disproving the pop-culture impression of "dopamine = do it more!"