Introduction
The YouTube blog “November 30 – Dopamine and Serotonin and Us” is dedicated to the topic of neurodiversity and the influence of neuromodulators on the human brain. One such neuromodulatory molecule released during a reward-giving action (for example, sex or food intake) is dopamine. Lauren Theresa McCarthy Debiak describes dopamine in her video as a “feel-good chemical” responsible for providing people with a sense of achievement, improving mood, and boosting their motivation and focus (McCarthy Debiak 00:01:17-00:01:50). Interestingly enough, this biochemical can also modulate our future behavior based on learned experiences.
Discussion
Dopamine is responsible for a phenomenon called a positive prediction error. This is the disparity between an actual and expected reward that is essential for fundamental types of learning about rewards and motivating humans to seek greater rewards (Schultz 23). A typical example of a positive prediction error is when a person assumes they will hate a particular food but ends up enjoying it. Dopamine takes part in this process and changes the person’s behavior so that they are less reluctant in the future. In the same way, dopamine communicates a negative prediction error in a person’s brain when the reward outcome is poorer than predicted (Schultz 24). This might also influence the person’s future behavior and make them seek another way to attain the desired reward outcome. Thus, human behavioral patterns may be completely altered and potentially revolutionized.
Conclusion
To sum up, dopamine effects are interrelated with our life experiences and the rewards we gain from these experiences. This process has been beneficially impacting humankind’s traits for centuries. As a result, the neuromodulator has the power to change our behavior and attitude toward certain subjects and objects over time.
Works Cited
Schultz, Wolfram. “Dopamine reward prediction error coding.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, vol. 18, no. 1, 2022, pp. 23-32.
“November 30 – Dopamine and Serotonin and Us.” YouTube, uploaded by Lauren Theresa McCarthy Debiak, Web.