r/todayilearned • u/thebigchil73 • 22h ago

TIL that the ‘high’ from gambling isn’t connected to winning - the dopamine rush peaks at exactly 50:50 probability. Gamblers get a rush when the roulette wheel is spinning but their pleasure is largely unaffected whether they win or lose.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12649484/
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u/Right_Ear_2230 16h ago

This is also a misunderstanding, serotonin is not just wellbeing, and your explanation on dopamine is oversimplified

Dopamine is involved in salience/motivation/goal directed behavior/focusing attention (which you described), but also in sensory gating, reinforcement, modulating motor signals, arousal, etc.

Serotonin is even more broad in its effect. It is involved in appetite, sexual function, social behavior, gastrointestinal motility, nausea/vomiting, pain, sleep, satisfaction, stress response, mood, body temperature, sensory processing, cognition, vasoconstriction, blood clotting, and even the… heart valves? for some reason?

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u/da_Sp00kz 10h ago

Why evolve production of new hormones and receptors when you've got a perfectly good hormone sitting around uninvolved in whatever process