Ever find yourself unable to stop scrolling through your phone, chasing that next funny video or interesting post?

Or maybe you’ve felt a rush of excitement when you achieve a goal, eat a delicious meal, or fill your online shopping cart.

Why do some experiences feel so rewarding, while others leave us feeling flat? Well, dopamine might be responsible for that. Here’s what it does in our brains and bodies.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter – a chemical messenger that facilitates communication between the brain and the central nervous system. It sends messages between different parts of your nervous system, helping your body and brain coordinate everything from your movement to your mood.

Dopamine is most known for its role in short-term pleasure, and the boost we get from things such as eating tasty foods, drinking alcohol, scrolling social media or falling in love.

Dopamine also assists with learning, maintaining focus and attention, and helps us store memories.

It even plays a role in kidney function by regulating the levels of salt and water we excrete.

Conversely, low levels of dopamine have been linked to........

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