mammalian brain chemistry explains everything
TRANSCRIPT
Mammalian Brain Chemistry
explains everything
Loretta G. Breuning PhDInner Mammal Institute
Your brain chemicals are inheritedfrom earlier animals
These chemicals are not meantto just flowall the time They’re meantto promote survival
The mammal brain releasesa happy chemical when it sees
a way to meet its needs
dopamine endorphin oxytocin serotonin
It releases a stress chemical when it sees
a potential threat to its needs
cortisol
A happy chemical tells a mammal to go toward
An unhappy chemical tells a mammal to avoid
The mammal brain is always scanning its world, and
responding with brain chemicals
We mammals survive because our brain chemicals steer us toward rewards and away from harm
The brainstructures that manage these chemicals are the samein all mammals
Humans have a big stock of extra neurons to feed this operating system with more information
When you know what turns on our brain chemicals in animals,
the world makes sense
dopamine endorphin oxytocinserotonin
Dopamineis the great feeling
that a reward is at hand
Dopaminereleases energy for the chase
Dopaminedroops
once you get the
reward, until
you set your sights on another
reward
Loretta Graziano Breuning PhD, Inner Mammal Institute
Oxytocinis often called
the “love chemical”
Loretta Graziano Breuning PhD, Inner Mammal Institute
Oxytocin is stimulated bytouch,trust,birth,and sex
Oxytocin droops when you’reseparated from the herd
This causes the feeling that your survival is threatened
Serotoninis the pleasure of social dominance
Serotoninis not
aggression but a calm sense that
“ I will get the
banana ”
Serotoninis soon reabsorbed, so we are always looking for ways to stimulate more
Endorphin masks pain so you can do whatit takes to survive
Endorphin is “endogenous morphine”
it’s meant for emergencies,not partying
Endorphin is triggered by vigorous exertion
Natural selection built a brain that motivates survival
behaviors byrewarding them
with a goodfeeling
How does a mammal know which rewards to approach and which threats to avoid?
Our brain chemicals are controlled by neural pathways
built from life experience
Brain chemicals are like paving on our neural pathways. This is why
it’s easy to repeatbehaviors
that triggeredhappy
chemicalsbefore
and to avoid behaviors that triggered pain before
The electricity in our brainflows like water in a storm,
finding the paths of least resistance
Electricity flows to your happy chemicals when something
resembles a past reward
Electricity flows to your cortisol when something
resembles past pain
Each mammal wires itself from its unique life experience
Reptiles are hardwired with the knowledge of their ancestors, but mammals add knowledge during an early period of dependency
A reptile leaves home as soon as it’s born becauseit already knows it all
A mother reptile can make hundreds of babies, and her genes will survive
even though most of them die
A mama mammal can only producea few babies in her lifetime.Her genes will not survive unless she guards each one constantly.
Attachment enables mammals to survive
Oxytocin circuits tell a mammal who to trust and who not to trust
By puberty, attachment transfers from mother to group,
thanks to oxytocin circuits
The biggera mammal’s brain, the longer its childhood
Big brains actually make it harder to survive because neurons use
so much energy
It takes time to wire neurons in ways that promotes survival
Mirror neurons also help a young mammal learn from the experience of its elders
Each mammal meets its needs withcircuits built from individual experience and
circuits inherited from its ancestors
The bigger a mammal’s brain,the more it builds circuits
from life experience
The smaller a mammal’s brain, the more it relies on circuits established long ago
New pathways build more easily in puberty. This supports transfer, which helps prevent inbreeding.
After puberty, myelin drops and a mammal relies on the core
neural network it has established
This network makes it easy to seek the rewards we know
And avoid the harm that we know
Humans havea very long dependency which gives us time to build more circuits from experience instead of relying on pre-wired impulses
It’s not easy being mammal !
Living with a group brings competition
The mammal brain evolvedto weigh alternatives
It asserts when that’s safe andit inhibits impulses when that’s
the better survival strategy
It must compare itself to others to do that
The impulse to compare is more urgent than the impulse to eat or mate
Serotonin makes it feel good when you
compare favorably
The mammal brain constantly weighs
opportunities and threats
Most of the time,a mammal sticks with the group despite the conflict
to enjoy protection from common enemies
Oxytocin makes itfeel good
But the mammal brain is very careful about who it trusts
Greener pastures feel good but the increased
predator threat feels bad
When a mammal goes for it, dopamine makes it feel good
The mammal brain scans for social rewards as well as material rewards
It scans for social threats as well as material threats
Primates have enough neurons to build individualized trust bonds
and update those circuits in response to new rewards and threats
A social threat feels like a survival threat tothe mammal brain
Disappointment feels like a survival threat to the mammal brain
But it finds another way to stimulate dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin
Loretta Graziano Breuning PhD, Inner Mammal Institute © 2015
It’s not easybeing mammal !
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Dopamine
Dopamine makes you jump for joy when you reach a goal or get a toy. In nature, it helps find food when you need it. “Eureka, I got it!” A memory gets created. Dopamine causes expectations. Correct predictions bring good sensations. Dopamine feels great so you try to get more. It rewarded our ancestors trudging through gore. Cocaine triggers dopamine. Caution to all: Joy without goal-seeking leads to a fall. Dopamine flows when you feel like “I’ve done it.” When others do it for you, your dopamine will shun it.
Endorphin
Endorphin helps you mask the pain Of injuries that you sustain. Your ancestors escaped from predator attack ‘Cause endorphin felt good while they ran back. Endorphin feels great when it eases your pains. But only real pain makes it flow in your veins. Exercise triggers it, experts alert you. But first you must do it ‘til body parts hurt you. Endorphin receptors let opium in. So you feel like you’re safe without lifting a shin. Laughing and crying can trigger it too. But just for a moment– then the job’s through.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin makes you trust your mates. We love the bonds that it creates. Oxytocin flows when you stick with the herd. “Not me!” you may say, “I’m no bovine or bird.” But without social bonds, your brain feels alarm. This protected our ancestors from all kinds of harm. Though the herd will annoy you, the pack hurt you so. When you run with a pack, oxytocin will flow. “My pack is great and the other is nuts.” This thinking prevailed since the first mammal struts. You’re above all this foolishness, obviously. But it feels good when I trust you and you trust me.
Serotonin swells your chest with pride When you get respect and needn’t hide. Your brain feels good when you boost yourself higher. But when others do this, it provokes your ire. “I don’t care about status. It’s other who do.” But you spurt serotonin when the limelight’s on you. You are quite modest and don’t like to boast. But no serotonin flows when you coast. Status doesn’t depend on money. You can be clever or helpful or funny. But when others one-up you, your mind agitates. ‘Cause serotonin droops ‘til you lift your own weights.
Serotonin