Serotonin vs Dopamine (Know The Differences)

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Of the various neurotransmitters that people confuse with each other, serotonin and dopamine are the two highest on the list (with oxytocin coming third as people often attribute its effects to serotonin). But, for all they are both “happiness molecules”, serotonin and dopamine are quite different, and are even opposites in some ways:

More than just happiness

Let’s break it down:

Similarities:

  • Both are neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and monoamines.
  • Both impact cognition, mood, energy, behavior, memory, and learning.
  • Both influence social behavior, though in different ways.

Differences (settle in; there are many):

  • Chemical structure:
    • Dopamine: catecholamine (derived from phenylalanine and tyrosine)
    • Serotonin: indoleamine (derived from tryptophan)
  • Derivatives:
    • Dopamine → noradrenaline and adrenaline (stress and alertness)
    • Serotonin → melatonin (sleep and circadian rhythm)
  • Effects on mental state:
    • Dopamine: drives action, motivation, and impulsivity.
    • Serotonin: promotes calmness, behavioral inhibition, and cooperation.
  • Role in memory and learning:
    • Dopamine: key in attention and working memory
    • Serotonin: crucial for hippocampus activation and long-term memory

Symptoms of imbalance:

  • Low dopamine:
    • Loss of motivation, focus, emotion, and activity
    • Linked to Parkinson’s disease and ADHD
  • Low serotonin:
    • Sadness, irritability, poor sleep, and digestive issues
    • Linked to PTSD, anxiety, and OCD
  • High dopamine:
    • Excessive drive, impulsivity, addictions, psychosis
  • High serotonin:
    • Nervousness, nausea, and in extreme cases, serotonin syndrome (which can be fatal)

Brain networks:

  • Dopamine: four pathways controlling movement, attention, executive function, and hormones.
  • Serotonin: widely distributed across the cortex, partially overlapping with dopamine systems.

Speed of production:

  • Dopamine: can spike and deplete quickly; fatigues faster with overuse.
  • Serotonin: more stable, releasing steadily over longer periods.

Illustrative examples:

  • Coffee boosts dopamine but loses its effect with repeated use.
  • Sunlight helps maintain serotonin levels over time.

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

  • Dopamine: action, motivation, and alertness.
  • Serotonin: contentment, happiness, and calmness.

For more on all of the above, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

Neurotransmitter Cheatsheet

Take care!

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  • The Secret Easy Tips to Loosen Your Hips In 10 Minutes

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    Stiff hips can often cause discomfort, and ultimately back pain because of how one thing relies on the other as its seat. However, there are ways to improve it without taking years to get to where you want to be:

    One bit at a time

    Warm up and massage:

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    Vary your stretches:

    • Perform a seated butterfly stretch, but avoid overexertion.
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    • Stretch the hips while lying on the floor with bent knees.

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  • More Things Dopamine Does For Us

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    In this week’s news roundup, we have two dopamine items and one other for variety:

    The real “dopamine switch”

    Dopamine is well-known as “the reward chemical”, and indeed it is that, but it also plays a central role in many neurological processes, including:

    • Linear task processing
    • Motivation
    • Learning and memory
    • Motor functions
    • Language faculties

    Recent research has now shown its importance in cognitive flexibility, i.e. the ability to adapt to circumstances, and switch approaches appropriately to such, and generally not get stuck in a cognitive rut:

    Read in full: Scientists confirm neurobiochemical link between dopamine and cognitive flexibility

    Related: The Dopamine Myth

    You may like the sound of this

    It’s been known for a while that dopamine is involved in learning and memory (as mentioned above), but this has been established largely by associative studies, e.g. “people with lower dopamine levels learn less easily”. But scientists have now mapped out more of how it actually does that.

    One more reason to ensure we have and maintain healthy dopamine levels!

    Read in full: Songbirds highlight dopamine’s role in learning

    Related: 10 Ways To Naturally Boost Dopamine

    Resist Or Run!

    When it comes to protecting against bone loss, resistance exercise remains key, but impact-laden activities such as running (but not lower-level everyday activity) can help too. There have been studies on the extent to which walking (a load-bearing activity) may be protective against bone loss, and the results of those studies have mostly been inconclusive.

    This study looked into the incidence (or not, as the case may be) of bone-loading impacts in everyday movements, using accelerometers, and measured bone mineral density before and after testing periods. Those that had higher-intensity bone-loading movements (so, resistance training or running, for example) retained the best measures of bone density through menopause into postmenopause:

    Read in full: Everyday physical activity does not slow bone loss during menopause, finds study

    Related: The Bare-Bones Truth About Osteoporosis

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  • Cashews vs Peanuts – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing cashews to peanuts, we picked the peanuts.

    Why?

    Another one for “that which is more expensive is not necessarily the healthier”! Although, certainly both are good:

    In terms of macros, cashews have about 2x the carbs while peanuts have a little more (healthy!) fat and more than 2x the fiber, meaning that peanuts also enjoy the lower glycemic index. All in all, a fair win for peanuts here.

    When it comes to vitamins, cashews have more of vitamins B6 and K, while peanuts have a lot more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B9, and E. Another easy win for peanuts.

    In the category of minerals; cashews have more copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium, while peanuts have more calcium, manganese, and potassium. A win for cashews, this time.

    Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for peanuts, but (assuming you are not allergic) enjoy either or both! In fact, enjoying both is best; diversity is good.

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    You might like to read:

    Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!

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    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

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    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Hey Sheila – As always, your articles are superb !! So, I have a topic that I’d love you guys to discuss: green tea. I used to try + drink it years ago but I always got an allergic reaction to it. So the question I’d like answered is: Will I still get the same allergic reaction if I take the capsules ? Also, because it’s caffeinated, will taking it interfere with iron pills, other vitamins + meds ? I read that the health benefits of the decaffeinated tea/capsules are not as great as the caffeinated. Any info would be greatly appreciated !! Thanks much !!❞

    Hi! I’m not Sheila, but I’ll answer this one in the first person as I’ve had a similar issue:

    I found long ago that taking any kind of tea (not herbal infusions, but true teas, e.g. green tea, black tea, red tea, etc) on an empty stomach made me want to throw up. The feeling would subside within about half an hour, but I learned it was far better to circumvent it by just not taking tea on an empty stomach.

    However! I take an l-theanine supplement when I wake up, to complement my morning coffee, and have never had a problem with that. Of course, my physiology is not your physiology, and this “shouldn’t” be happening to either of us in the first place, so it’s not something there’s a lot of scientific literature about, and we just have to figure out what works for us.

    This last Monday I wrote (inspired in part by your query) about l-theanine supplementation, and how it doesn’t require caffeine to unlock its benefits after all, by the way. So that’s that part in order.

    I can’t speak for interactions with your other supplements or medications without knowing what they are, but I’m not aware of any known issue, beyond that l-theanine will tend to give a gentler curve to the expression of some neurotransmitters. So, if for example you’re talking anything that affects that (e.g. antidepressants, antipsychotics, ADHD meds, sleepy/wakefulness meds, etc) then checking with your doctor is best.

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  • Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50 – by Emma Sanchez

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  • ‘It’s okay to poo at work’: new health campaign highlights a common source of anxiety

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    For most people, the daily or near-daily ritual of having a bowel motion is not something we give a great deal of thought to. But for some people, the need to do a “number two” in a public toilet or at work can be beset with significant stress and anxiety.

    In recognition of the discomfort people may feel around passing a bowel motion at work, the Queensland Department of Health recently launched a social media campaign with the message “It’s okay to poo at work”.

    The campaign has gained significant traction on Instagram and Facebook. It has been praised by health and marketing experts for its humorous handling of a taboo topic.

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    If you find it extremely difficult to poo around other people, you might have parcopresis.

    Queensland Health/Instagram

    What is parcopresis?

    Parcopresis, sometimes called “shy bowel”, occurs when people experience a difficulty or inability to poo in public toilets due to fear of perceived scrutiny by others.

    People with parcopresis may find it difficult to go to the toilet in public places such as shopping centres, restaurants, at work or at school, or even at home when friends or family are around.

    They may fear being judged by others about unpleasant smells or sounds when they have a bowel motion, or how long they take to go, for example.

    Living with a gastrointestinal condition (at least four in ten Australians do) may contribute to parcopresis due to anxiety about the need to use a toilet frequently, and perceived judgment from others when doing so. Other factors, such as past negative experiences or accessibility challenges, may also play a role.

    A man in office attire holding a roll of toilet paper.
    Some people may feel uncomfortable about using the toilet at work. Motortion Films/Shutterstock

    For sufferers, anxiety can present in the form of a faster heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, muscle tension, blushing, nausea, trembling, or a combination of these symptoms. They may experience ongoing worry about situations where they may need to use a public toilet.

    Living with parcopresis can affect multiple domains of life and quality of life overall. For example, sufferers may have difficulties relating to employment, relationships and social life. They might avoid travelling or attending certain events because of their symptoms.

    How common is parcopresis?

    We don’t really know how common parcopresis is, partly due to the difficulty of evaluating this behaviour. It’s not necessarily easy or appropriate to follow people around to track whether they use or avoid public toilets (and their reasons if they do). Also, observing individual bathroom activities may alter the person’s behaviour.

    I conducted a study to try to better understand how common parcopresis is. The study involved 714 university students. I asked participants to respond to a series of vignettes, or scenarios.

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    Around 10% avoided going when all toilets were available. This rose to around 25% when only the middle of three toilets was available. Men were significantly less likely to avoid going than women across all vignettes.

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    Parcopresis at work

    In occupational settings, the rates of anxiety about using shared bathrooms may well be higher for a few reasons.

    For example, people may feel more self-conscious about their bodily functions being heard or noticed by colleagues, compared to strangers in a public toilet.

    People may also experience guilt, shame and fear about being judged by colleagues or supervisors if they need to make extended or frequent visits to the bathroom. This may particularly apply to people with a gastrointestinal condition.

    Reducing restroom anxiety

    Using a public toilet can understandably cause some anxiety or be unpleasant. But for a small minority of people it can be a real problem, causing severe distress and affecting their ability to engage in activities of daily living.

    If doing a poo in a toilet at work or another public setting causes you anxiety, be kind to yourself. A number of strategies might help:

    • identify and challenge negative thoughts about using public toilets and remind yourself that using the bathroom is normal, and that most people are not paying attention to others in the toilets
    • try to manage stress through relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing and relaxing different muscles around the body
    • engaging in gradual exposure can be helpful, which means visiting public toilets at different times and locations, so you can develop greater confidence in using them
    • use grounding or distraction techniques while going to the toilet. These might include listening to music, watching something on your phone, or focusing on your breathing.

    If you feel parcopresis is having a significant impact on your life, talk to your GP or a psychologist who can help identify appropriate approaches to treatment. This might include cognitive behavioural therapy.

    Simon Robert Knowles, Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Swinburne University of Technology

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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