'High on Dopamine' -The Real Addiction?

Devika Jamkhedkar 

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter of the brain that is necessary for activities like habit formation and behaviour motivation ("Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction" 2018). After research revealed that it is involved in addiction, media outlets and pop psychology have perceived dopamine itself as the main cause of addiction. Popular thought suggest that addicts should seek to allay the neurotransmitter’s release, instead of the addictive stimulus. These views have clouded popular thought, but cover only some scientific facts regarding dopamine and its effects. Dopamine is a chemical necessary for all habit formation and is not the root cause of addiction. 

The brain has various mechanisms to recall and establish habits that are performed with relatively little conscious effort. When a person performs an ordinary, pleasurable activity, like physical exercise, the basal ganglia release endorphins. This response releases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens cells. ( "How addiction hijacks the brain", 2011)  ("Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction", 2018). The dopamine helps the brain recall the behaviour as pleasurable, thus providing motivation for the person to repeat the activity. Thus, release of dopamine is important for habit formation. 

Exposure to an addictive stimulus elicits a similar reaction in the brain. For example, a drug elicits a star of ‘euphoria’, or extreme pleasure. The dopamine released is coupled with the glutamate from the prefrontal cortex. As glutamate is involved in learning, motivation and memory, the two lead hijack the reward system and cause an increased motivation to seek out the pleasure inducing stimulus ("How addiction hijacks the brain", 2011).  Over time, the hippocampus records the pleasurable experience and the amygdala helps condition the brain to associate sensory stimuli with the experience. This learning and motivation system together induces ‘cravings’ for the stimulus ("How addiction hijacks the brain", 2011). 

Developing an addiction depends on the nature of the stimulus. Some psychoactive drugs produce ten times the amount of dopamine produced due to a healthy behaviour (‘How addiction hijacks the brain’). When tolerance to drugs increases, a greater amount of the substance is required to obtain a regular ‘high.’ 

Although drugs and alcohol are well-known addictive substances, non-psychoactive stimuli can be addictive as well. The DSM-V has listed pathological gambling and internet gaming as addictive disorders ( "What is Gambling Disorder?", 2018) , ("Internet Gaming", 2018).  However, the role of dopamine has been widely publicised in the media. Its effects have been homogenised for different substances, leading to outrageous headlines like, ‘Are cupcakes as addictive as cocaine?’ It has been branded as the sole perpetrator of all addiction by ‘The Dopamine Project’ - a theory that pins all human and social vices on the release of dopamine. 

Such conclusions reflect superficial understanding of the issue. To believe that dopamine is the cause of addiction is result of ‘magic bullet’ thinking, finding one concrete solution to a nuanced problem. Addiction is a disability with various possible causes. Targeting dopamine itself does not address the complex, root causes of addiction.

Dopamine is essential to habit formation. Activity among the dopamine releasing cells in the basal ganglia as well as in the striatum helps maintain certain behaviours, forming habits (Graybiel & Grafton, 2015). Healthy habit formation is crucial for physical and psychological well-being. Furthermore, the presence of strong  healthy habits makes it more difficult for them to be replaced by harmful ones. As dopamine plays a role in all habit formation, it cannot be singled out as the perpetrator of only harmful addictions. 

While addictive behaviour arises from the dopamine release, the root cause of addiction is tied to features of the addictive stimulus itself. Drugs, smartphones and other stimuli can be inherently addictive due to the distinct effects each one has on the brain’s internal chemistry. According to Haynes of Harvard University's 'Science in the News', The flow of positive notifications from a smartphone elicits the pleasure response that releases dopamine (2018), while cocaine does the same because of its chemical composition. Hence, the source of addiction is in the stimulus, not dopamine. Furthermore, addictive stimuli lead to variety of other serious health problems. Alcohol abuse can lead to liver cirrhosis and excessive social media usage is linked to anxiety and depression. Such issues are the reason that the stimulus, not dopamine, should be targeted in curbing addiction. 

Repeated uses of addictive stimuli can be tied to various factors specific to the addiction. Age, demographic, and gender all affect a person’s likelihood of becoming and continuing to be an addict. Research shows that 40-60% of vulnerability to alcohol addiction is genetic. ("How addiction hijacks the brain", 2011). Addiction is a result of various social and external, genetic and cognitive factors. The removal or reduction of dopamine will not help in preventing or stopping addiction. 

Dopamine is a natural bodily neurotransmitter that is necessary for mental and physiological functioning. To curb addiction, rehabilitation and therapy should target addictive stimuli and behaviours, not the neurotransmitters involved. 

Bibliography -


Ley, David J. (2017).  'No, Dopamine is Not Addictive’. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/201701/no-dopamine-is-not-addictive. 

‘How addiction hijacks the brain’. Harvard Mental Health Letter (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/how-addiction-hijacks-the-brain.  

'Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction’. National Institute of Drug Abuse, https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain. 

Haynes, Trevor (2018). ’Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time.’ Harvard University. Retrieved from http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/.

Lyell, Charles. ‘About.’  The Dopamine Project (n.d). Retrieved from https://dopamineproject.org/sample-page/. 

Graybiel, Ann M. &  Grafton, Scott T. ‘The Striatum: Where Skills and Habits Meet’ Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (2015). Retrieved from https://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/content/7/8/a021691.full 

8) "Internet Gaming", The American Psychiatry Association (2018). Retrieved from  https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/internet-gaming. 

9) "What is Gambling Disorder?" The American Psychiatry Association (2018). Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gambling-disorder/what-is-gambling-disorder. 

10) Sloan, Jenny. "Are cupcakes as addictive as cocaine?" The Sun, (2011). Retrieved from https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/health/884925/are-cupcakes-as-addictive-as-cocaine/.