Need a dop of dopamine?

"I need some dopamine." Forgive me for thinking that might mean “my dop/my drink”. No doubt for some people, that is quite correct. But the neuro-transmitter dopamine is a much-heralded bit of brain chemistry that helps to make life worth living.



Called the “pleasure hormone”, dopamine triggers well-being. When someone calls for dopamine, it is a cry for help because it means they are fully aware that their emotional, physical and spiritual needs are not being met.

Serotonin, another neuro-transmitter, is the cousin. Together they provide the symphony, the pinnacle. They are chemically different molecules derived from amino acids (tyrosine for dopamine and tryptophan for serotonin).

Dopamine rewards us when we are taking care of our bodies like eating, drinking, competing to survive and reproducing. This rush of feeling motivates us but is only a temporary feeling of reward. Here addiction can so easily take hold: we want more of this pleasurable feeling.

Serotonin, on the other hand, is mostly produced in the gut, with some in the brain. When all is in balance, we feel focused, happy or calm. When out of kilter, our mood, sleep and digestive tract are affected. Eating foods high in tryptophan like milk, oats, cheese and nuts can bring back the equilibrium.

What’s the spin on Dopamine Décor, then? Perhaps it is just a cool way of saying that with which we surround ourselves, can and should bring pleasure.

Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright of the late 1800s, summed it up well: Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons, a possession for all eternity.

Our innate desire to adorn our living spaces reflects that search for beauty, pleasure and happiness. For some dopamine décor will be outrageously clashing colours that feed their sense of rebellion. For others it is perhaps the muted shades of cool lemon and mint. For others, stark black and white in juxtaposition. Whatever thrills your chills.

Will your personal brand of dopamine décor bring deep joy? That is an incredibly personal question, best calculated with your own degrees of comparison, perhaps like this: satisfied > glad > pleased > happy > delighted > joyful?

And wherein lies joy, really? Perhaps it is the serenity of being at peace with self and others. Remember the 1964 film My Fair Lady, when Professor Higgins asked, “Why don't they straighten up the mess that's inside?” Now there’s the crux of the matter. Inner joy is dependent on inner peace.

It may just be that your inner peace is fuelled by a new house plant, a coat of paint or a mood board display. Being in touch with that is a good start.

Christine Stoman