How Does Your Brain Feel Motivation?

One neurotransmitter is essential for feeling motivated.

How do we become motivated? Is it simply a desire from within or is there a scientific explanation behind it? Motivation has many meanings. It can be the driving force behind someone’s education, athletic ability or creativity. Motivation can inspire actions that are minor or life-changing. Regardless of what your motivation is concentrated on, understanding how the brain experiences motivation can help better harness that feeling, or understand why it isn’t always present.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been given the nickname “feel good” neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that relay information between neurons, telling your body what it is feeling. They tell your body that it is in pain, that these muscles should move, or that it is calm and safe. Dopamine in particular provides feelings of pleasure. It is an integral part of the reward system of our bodies. Dopamine can travel down several different pathways in the brain, stimulating a variety of outcomes. One of these pathways is the “mesolimbic pathway, which comes from the middle of the brain and branches to various places like the cerebral cortex, is the most important reward pathway in the brain” (The Science of Motivation). When we accomplish a task, our brain releases dopamine, providing the feeling of reward. Because dopamine can’t be released in a constant stream without causing physiological damage, its selectivity allows us to chase that feeling. Our brain becomes “motivated” to engage in activities that result in the release of dopamine.

Scientific research has shown that people that are more highly motivated have higher levels of dopamine. The task itself does not determine the abundance of dopamine, however. A person can be motivated to complete any kind of task. In a study listed in Forbes magazine, brain imaging was used on groups of people given the labels “go-getters” and “slackers”. The study found that “the “go-getters” had higher levels of dopamine in the reward and motivation portions of the brain - the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The “slackers,” on the other hand, had a higher level of dopamine in the area of the brain associated with emotion and risk - the anterior insula.”

The science behind motivation is plentiful, however, it in no way states that we have a predetermined threshold for the amount of dopamine that can be produced. Factors such as diet and exercise can increase natural dopamine release. Increasing dopamine levels can be a determining factor in motivation and productivity levels. Foods that are rich in protein, as well as those low in saturated fat, have been shown to increase dopamine levels (Healthline). In addition, taking probiotics can stimulate dopamine production, due to the vast amounts of nerve cells in the gut that are capable of producing the neurotransmitter. Easiest of all, exercise, sleep and music are sure to flood your body with the feel-good neurotransmitter.

References:

• https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2018/06/motivation
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/how-to-stay-motivated
• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercise-motivation-your-heart-will-love
• http://blog.idonethis.com/the-science-of-motivation-your-brain-on-dopamine/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/sujanpatel/2015/01/09/the-science-behind-motivation/#5bbceff949d9
• https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/19/03/unlocking-science-motivation
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dopamine
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-increase-dopamine
• https://www.news-medical.net/health/Dopamine-Functions.aspx
• https://positivepsychology.com/motivation-science-research-assessments/

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