Dopamine: The Chemical Behind Our Choices

Written by Anna Truong

Image source: the-scientist.com

A lot of people use the word ‘Dopamine’ in their daily sentences. For example, “Riding the rollercoaster is like an instant dose of Dopamine!” or “I post on social media just for that Dopamine rush every time I hear a ding of notification!” .

Sometimes, we may get confused about the nature of how this chemical is created and it is released. Is it in soft luscious sweets we crave? Is it in the adventurous games we play? 

Thinking that Dopamine only exists once we experience a sudden pleasure is a common misconception–Dopamine is actually a natural neurotransmitter and a hormone INSIDE our body 24/7! 

The so called ‘happy’ organic chemical compound is created in the base of the brain through a two step process where Tyrosine (a type of amino acid) turns into L-dopa (another type of amino acid), which then undergo decarboxylation, an enzyme-driven chemical reaction. Thus, as surprising as it is, rewarding actions like eating candies and playing video games can only indirectly help you produce more dopamine naturally in the brain. This is due to the sudden surge of pleasure you get from indulging in these joyful activities!

Many students often do not take joy in studying. Most of us would prefer to utilise our free will in the best and most efficient way possible: watching TikTok, gaming, posting on social media,... So, why are children and teens more drawn to these sources of entertainment rather than school work? Neuroscience reveals that this has a lot to do with the brain, and especially, dopamine. 

Normally, dopamine would be in ‘tonic’ mode where levels of neurons remain stable, allowing the neural circuits in our nervous system to function properly. Whenever acquiring an unexpected reward, such as achieving an A* on your report or receiving extravagant gifts will result in a process called ‘reward-prediction error’. This triggers the ‘phasic’ mode of dopamine where our neurons will gain excitement and start firing at a rapid speed rate for 100-500 milliseconds! 

Dopamine is also instrumental for addictions, and TikTok is a well-known example amongst teens due to an active developing brain and vulnerable mindset. 

TikTok, a platform that provides us with an algorithm consisting of short personalised videos of entertainment, acts as a constant rewarding system as we continue to scroll. The continuous rewards obtained from the enjoyable clips increases the release of dopamine hits, fabricating that surge of pleasure in our brain. Once exposed to the pleasing feeling of dopamine, we would be endlessly scrolling on social media until the delightful sensation of this chemical becomes regular. 

So why do we choose to play games instead of studying? Sure, school content can be monotonous, but scientists stated that most children are curious as their brain is biologically wired for the exploration of the world. A huge part of why we find school mundane is through the discovery of ‘easy’ and ‘fast’ dopamine sensation leading to shorter attention spans and habit loops. Therefore, the slow dopamine release obtained from studying will become less preferred amongst children. Wouldn’t you want something you desire right now rather than in a month? 

However, it is crucial for students to maintain their dopamine levels. Without it, we would become regularly tired, but with high dopamine levels we would become more energized which causes negative consequences such as sleeping issues. Meanwhile, conditions such as schizophrenia and depression are linked to dopamine imbalances rather than simple excess or deficiency. 

Although dopamine is the backbone of our motivational system, helping learners to recognise the importance of education and aiding cognition, it could definitely bring adverse effects if it is overproduced or underproduced. A healthy and natural release of  dopamine can be seen in many study methods provided online! An example could be rewarding yourself with a snack after achieving a goal or completing work. 

Overall, you are not going to suddenly have diseases because of doom scrolling on TikTok for too long. However, the addictions mentioned before will develop and become tremendously difficult to get through, especially during the most important years of your life. Dopamine is not in sweets or games–it is how we choose to reward our brain.

References: 

• Cleveland Clinic. “Dopamine.” Cleveland Clinic, 23 Mar. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine.

• Borenstein, Jeffrey. “Dopamine’s Role in Learning and Memory | Psychology Today.” Www.psychologytoday.com, 7 Oct. 2021, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-and-behavior/202110/dopamines-role-in-learning-and-memory.

• “Why Children Lose Interest in Learning: The Role of Dopamine and the Impact of the Internet.” Cisedu.com, 2025, cisedu.com/en-uz/world-of-cis/news/why_children_lose_interest_in_learning/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.

• Bromberg-Martin, Ethan S., et al. “Dopamine in Motivational Control: Rewarding, Aversive, and Alerting.” Neuron, vol. 68, no. 5, 9 Dec. 2010, pp. 815–834, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3032992/, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.11.022. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.

• Watson, Stephanie. “Dopamine: The Pathway to Pleasure.” Harvard Health, Harvard Medical School, 2024, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.

• Moorhouse, Pete. Curiosity. Mar. 2021.

• Leow, Li-Ann, et al. “Dopamine Increases Accuracy and Lengthens Deliberation Time in Explicit Motor Skill Learning.” ENeuro, vol. 11, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2024, www.eneuro.org/content/11/1/ENEURO.0360-23.2023#:~:text=Increasing%20dopamine%20availability%20at%20training, https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0360-23.2023.

• https://www.facebook.com/neurosciencenews. “The Role of Dopamine in Motivation and Learning.” Neuroscience News, 24 Nov. 2015, neurosciencenews.com/dopamine-learning-reward-3157/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.