Alcohol. Dopamine and Endorphins. Reward pathway. And how alcohol makes our brain want and like it.
1-Minute NomNom
Don’t mind me saying this, but why do people seem to enjoy alcohol so much? We know alcohol can make us feel happy at first. Drink more of it though it seems it can then make us sad too. But yet we keep wanting and liking it. Why is this so?
I want it!
Things that give us pleasure trigger a dopamine release into the reward pathway of the brain. Dopamine is a “neurotransmitter … [that is] used when the brain sends signals to the muscles in the body to make them move.” The reward pathway, also called the mesolimbic pathway, is made up of several parts of the brain that are activated by things we enjoy. These include music, sex, and alcohol. It is considered the “most significant neural pathway” in the brain.
When we drink alcohol, the alcohol stimulates both the GABA and endorphin systems. GABA is a neurotransmitter in our central nervous system, while endorphins are proteins that “cause a sense of well-being… [and] can fight pain.” The two systems release dopamine into the reward pathway.
Scientists believe that this is what makes us want something, in this case, alcohol.
I like it!
Wanting something is however different from liking something. Liking something involves endorphins, which are also triggered by things which give us pleasure (yes yes, there seems to be a cycle of sorts here). An “endorphin-high” for example is what sometimes is used to describe the pleasure exercise or even chocolates give to us.
These endorphins and the activation of different parts of the brain are what makes us like alcohol (and the degree to which we like it).
Can there be too much dopamine at one go?
Scientists are still figuring out the complex phenomenon of pleasure. One thing they do believe is that the reward pathway and dopamine may be behind the reason why we want something, and when that becomes a habit, we become addicted.
Like this? Dopamine asking but could you want and like me to discover more? All you need is a minute a day to explore the world’s marvels through the phenomenon of food!
