-D O P A M I N E - Can you feel me now?- Acrylic on Canvas The first of a 4 part large scale neurotransmitter series. ( 1. Dopamine - 2. Serotonin - 3. Oxytocin- 4. Adrenalin ) Acrylic on canvas - listening to the audio book "Molecule Of More" Daniel Z. Lieberman & Michael E. Long I started this painting in March of 2021 and completed in August 17th 2021. "“From dopamine’s point of view, having things is uninteresting. It’s only getting things that matters. If you live under a bridge, dopamine makes you want a tent. If you live in a tent, dopamine makes you want a house. If you live in the most expensive mansion in the world, dopamine makes you want a castle on the moon. Dopamine has no standard for good, and seeks no finish line. The dopamine circuits in the brain can be stimulated only by the possibility of whatever is shiny and new, never mind how perfect things are at the moment. Dopamine’s motto is simply more. And this desire circuit often breaks its promises—which is bound to happen, because it plays no role in generating feelings of satisfaction. It is in no position to make dreams come true. The desire circuit is, so to speak, just a salesman. Dopamine also isn’t the pleasure molecule, after all. It’s the anticipation molecule. To enjoy the things we have, as opposed to the things that are only possible, our brains must transition from future-oriented dopamine to present-oriented chemicals, a collection of neurotransmitters we call the Here and Now molecules, or the H&Ns. They include serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins and a class of chemicals called endocannabinoids. As opposed to the pleasure of anticipation via dopamine, these chemicals give us pleasure from sensation and emotion in the here and now. Further more, High levels of dopamine suppress H&N functioning, and serotonin and dopamine use the same chemical precursors so one can dominate the other.” - The Molecule Of More - Daniel Z. Lieberman & Michael E. Long