Term

Dopamine

A chemical messenger in the brain. It is especially important for desire, motivation and the anticipation of reward.

The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage, Kelly McGonigal

Explained in

• The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage, Kelly McGonigal
• Dopamine Detox: A Short Guide to Remove Distractions and Get Your Brain to Do Hard Things, Thibaut Meurisse

  A substance nerve cells use to pass signals. In the book the author links it above all to anticipating a reward. This is a simplified explanation, not the full picture of how the brain works.

• Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, Martin Lindstrom

  A signaling chemical in the brain. Lindstrom links its surge to the anticipation of a purchase and the pleasant excitement at the checkout.

• Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, Daniel J. Siegel

  A chemical that nerve cells use to pass signals to each other. It is linked to the feeling of reward and pleasure.

• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, Anna Lembke

  A substance nerve cells use to pass signals to each other. It is linked to pleasure and to the drive for reward.

• The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time, Alex Korb

  A chemical through which nerve cells send signals. It is linked to pleasure, reward and motivation.

• Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick, Wendy Wood

  A substance through which nerve cells send signals. It plays a role in how the brain learns from rewards.

• The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease, Marc Lewis

  A chemical that nerve cells use to pass on signals. In the brain's reward system it is tied above all to wanting and to the pursuit of goals.

• Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, Vanessa Van Edwards

  A chemical messenger in the brain. It is linked with anticipating a reward, with interest and with motivation.

• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, Jonathan Haidt

  A chemical that carries signals in the brain. It is linked above all to wanting and to anticipating a reward.

• Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution., Brené Brown

  A chemical that carries signals between nerve cells. It is linked to expecting a reward and to a feeling of satisfaction.

• Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, & Endorphin Levels, Loretta Graziano Breuning

  A brain chemical Breuning describes as the joy of finding what you seek. It is released as you get closer to a reward.

• This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, Daniel J. Levitin

  A substance nerve cells use to pass signals to each other. It is linked to pleasure, motivation and the feeling of reward.

• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, Simon Sinek

  A chemical linked to expecting a reward. It gives pleasure as we get closer to a goal, and it can be addictive.

• The Molecule of More, Daniel Z. Lieberman, Michael E. Long

  A neurotransmitter, a substance brain cells use to communicate. In the authors' model, it is “the molecule of more,” tied to anticipation and the future. In reality its role is broader: it is involved in movement and in learning too.

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