Dopamine – The addiction Chemical


Written by: Moses Alhassan | April 13, 2019

Ever wondered why you get so excited about doing something and keep doing that thing over and over? Have ever been curious to find out why people get addicted to certain activities or foods?
Well…a major answer to this is Dopamine. Dopamine is secreted in the brain and it acts as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. Most scientists refer to it as the motivation/reward hormone. Others even call it the addiction hormone/chemical. Either way, there are interesting facts about dopamine that you’ve got to know.

When you derive pleasure from engaging in any activity, a moderate amount of dopamine is released and this makes you more excited. This then encourages you to keep on with that activity and over time, you get addicted to that activity because you get so excited by it. For instance, cocaine contains a lot of dopamine (which is even too much for the body) and people get so excited when they take cocaine. In exchange for taking it, they get pleasure as a reward and when dopamine declines, they are motivated to take more doses in order to remain excited. Narcotics actually increase dopamine levels abruptly and later lead to an abrupt decrease. The case of social media is not so different. Small amounts of dopamine are released when we receive texts from friends and dopamine encourages us to read more texts or watch more videos so that we can keep being excited.

Research conducted at Harvard University revealed that 73% of smartphone users feel stressed and uncomfortable when they are not with their phones. The sad part of elevated levels of dopamine (induced by gadgets or drugs) is that most people easily get depressed when they are unable to have access to the tools that increase their dopamine levels (what we call addiction).

Now, you may want to know; how do I (you) increase my dopamine level naturally (this comes with no side effects like addiction or stress). You know these already, you read about them most of the time. Take a lot of protein (by not during the hot season; because your metabolism rate would heighten). Research has revealed that tyro-sine can be synthesized into dopamine. So foods like beef, beans and milk can get you some natural dopamine. Exercising also keeps the right amount of dopamine in place. Also try and talk physically with friends; hugging also does a lot of good. Eat less of saturated fat and always pray to God when you really need someone to talk to.


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