Does Dopamine Create Motivation?
April 30, 2013//Comments Off on Does Dopamine Create Motivation?
Scientists now believe it does.
- “It was believed that dopamine regulated pleasure and reward and that we release it when we obtain something that satisfies us, but in fact the latest scientific evidence shows that this neurotransmitter acts before that, it actually encourages us to act. In other words, dopamine is released in order to achieve something good or to avoid something evil”, explains Mercè Correa. Studies had shown that dopamine is released by pleasurable sensations but also by stress, pain or loss. These research results however had been skewed to only highlight the positive influence, according to Correa.”
I’m pretty sure that – except perhaps in cases of serious depression – the environmental influence on motivation is going to far outweigh the dopamine influence. Regardless of your level of dopamine, if you’re perfectionist or ambivalent about your work, or stressed, or under-resourced, or in a hostile context, your motivation will suffer. It’s useful to understand about the dopamine influence, but important to keep in perspective.
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