Dopamine and serotonin play a major role in our emotional and mental well-being. Serotonin resides in the digestive system and dopamine in the brain. They are known as the happy hormone that plays a major in our emotions and mood. They have importance in certain mental health conditions like depression and low mood.
Both are neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers and they are used by the nervous system that regulates countless functions and processes in your body. While they both affect the same things but do it in a slightly different way.
Dopamine and Serotonin – A deep analysis
Dopamine –
Plays a bigger role in reward and motivation. Once a person achieves his / her goal the feeling of satisfaction the person feels is partly due to a rush of dopamine. When there is a dysfunction within the dopamine system then the person encounters depression. Nearly all pleasurable experiences involve the release of dopamine. Like having good food to having sex. Disfunction causes diseases like Parkinson, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Dopamine helps to regulate the release of insulin from the pancreas. It also affects the movement of the small intestine and colon. It helps the food to move through the system. On the mucosal lining of your gastrointestinal tract, it has protective effects and helps to prevent peptic ulcers.
Serotonin – For more than 5 decades the researchers are trying to find out the link between depression and serotonin. Now the researchers have found out that low serotonin has nothing to do with depression. Effective use of serotonin is one of the treatments for depression. But alone serotonin cannot treat depression. It can cause diseases like Anxiety Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder.
The gut of a person contains 95% of the body’s serotonin. When food enters the small intestine it gets released. It helps to stimulate contractions that push food through the intestines. Extra serotonin is released when a person eats something containing harmful bacteria or an allergen.
The main difference between dopamine and serotonin – Dopamine dysfunction is linked to a certain system of depressions, like low motivation. Serotonin is involved in how to process emotions which affects overall mood.
