Brain & Mental Health · Brain
Dopamine, Motivation & Addiction
Dopamine is less a pleasure chemical than a learning and wanting signal. Reward prediction error, wanting vs liking, how drugs and variable rewards hijack the system, tolerance and withdrawal, and evidence-based ways to reset habits.
Step 1 of 6 · Overview35 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: How neurons work. Next: Stress & cortisol. Sources: Schultz, Dayan & Montague (1997, *Science*), Kent Berridge's wanting/liking research, Nora Volkow (NIDA) imaging work, Anna Lembke's *Dopamine Nation*.Not medical advice. Education only; talk to a doctor about your own health, medications or symptoms.
Next: 1. Reward prediction error