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Serotonin vs Dopamine: How to maximize both for superior mental wellbeing
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There are over 100 brain chemicals that perform many functions [1 Trusted Source 2015 - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3rd-party source Neurotransmitters ] . Serotonin and dopamine, two of the most important chemicals for brain health, were recognized around the same time. Serotonin’s discovery in brain health was in 1953 [2 Trusted Source 1999 - Neuropsychopharmacology Research evaluation The Discovery of Serotonin and its Role in Neuroscience ] and dopamine’s in 1957 [3 Trusted Source 2010 - Indian Journal of Psychiatry Research evaluation Arvid Carlsson, and the story of dopamine ] .
Today, they are commonly associated with good mood and feeling happy. They perform many other important functions. What is the difference between dopamine and serotonin? Dopamine is your reward and pleasure brain chemical, and its dysfunction is involved in addictions. Serotonin regulates your mood, and its dysfunction is involved in depression and mood disorders.
How does your brain make serotonin and dopamine?
Both must be produced in the brain to perform brain health functions. They are produced from protein building blocks found in protein rich foods. The difference between serotonin and dopamine is that serotonin is produced from tryptophan, while dopamine is produced from tyrosine. Increase intake of the following sources to increase serotonin and dopamine production:
|
Food (per 100g) |
Tryptophan content (mg) |
Tyrosine content (mg) |
|
Frozen dried tofu |
750 |
1800 |
|
Chia seeds |
720 |
503 |
|
Beef, lean, roasted |
185 |
895 |
|
Chicken breast, roasted |
362 |
1047 |
|
Salmon, cooked |
285 |
859 |
|
Pork, roasted |
324 |
903 |
|
Mozzarella cheese |
515 |
1043 |
|
Parmesan cheese |
518 |
2328 |
|
Powdered full fat milk |
371 |
1271 |
|
Whole egg, boiled |
153 |
513 |
When tryptophan enters the brain, it is first converted to 5-HTP which is then converted to serotonin. The body only uses 1-3% of tryptophan to make serotonin [4 Trusted Source 2009 - International Journal of Tryptophan Research Research evaluation L-Tryptophan: Basic Metabolic Functions, Behavioral Research and Therapeutic Indications ] . A short cut way to increase serotonin is to supplement with 5-HTP. The world’s smallest dense tablet of 100mg 5-HTP can naturally and safely increase serotonin levels.
When tyrosine enters the brain, it is first converted to L-DOPA, which is then converted to dopamine. Tyrosine is essential for dopamine production. Apart from food sources, the world’s 1st natural 800mg tyrosine capsule made from fermented corn is an easy way to increase dopamine production.
Serotonin vs Dopamine: Happiness
Serotonin and dopamine promote positive feelings. They both work differently in producing “feel-good” effects. What does serotonin do differently to dopamine? Serotonin is the stabilizing/calming brain chemical. It calms you down and improves your mood to make you happy. Adequate serotonin levels can prevent irritability [7 Trusted Source 2002 - Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior Research evaluation The role of serotonin in human mood and social interaction: Insight from altered tryptophan levels ] and promote good mood.
Serotonin=calm mood=happiness
Dopamine is an excitatory/boosting brain chemical. It motivates you to take up challenges and risks. Dopamine is released in anticipation of rewarding activity to reinforce the feel-good effect after the activity is completed [5 Trusted Source 2019 - Trends in Neurosciences Research evaluation What Is the Relationship between Dopamine and Effort? ] . People who are intrinsically motivated and are “go-getters” have higher dopamine levels [6 Trusted Source 2012 - Vanderbilt University 3rd-party source Dopamine impacts your willingness to work ] .
Dopamine=rewarding feeling=happiness
If you are looking to boost your motivation and pump up the “go-getter” attitude, it is worth increasing your dopamine levels. Equally important is balancing the excitement with calmness, so keep up the serotonin levels as well.
Serotonin vs Dopamine: Sleep/wake cycle
Serotonin helps build restful sleep and dopamine promotes wakefulness.
Serotonin is light sensitive and is produced during the day. At night, serotonin is converted to melatonin, your sleep hormone. Maintaining sufficient levels of serotonin is required to make melatonin. Animal studies where serotonin brain cells were removed, there was a decrease in dreaming sleep stage [8 Trusted Source 2018 - Frontiers in Neuroscience Research evaluation Ablation of Central Serotonergic Neurons Decreased REM Sleep and Attenuated Arousal Response ] . The brain is active at this stage and processes memory and learning [9 Trusted Source 2016 - Current Biology Research evaluation Neuroscience: A Distributed Neural Network Controls REM Sleep ] .
Serotonin=restful sleep
Dopamine is involved in keeping you awake and alert. Medications that decrease dopamine promote excessive sleepiness [10 Trusted Source 2012 - The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 3rd-party resource Evidence That Sleep Deprivation Downregulates Dopamine D2R in Ventral Striatum in the Human Brain ] . Animal studies where dopamine action was medically prolonged, led to increased wakefulness [11 Trusted Source 2010 - Sleep Medicine Clinics 3rd-party source Neuropharmacology of Sleep and Wakefulness ] . The dreaming sleep stage, where the brain is active is characterized by increased dopamine release [12 Trusted Source 2006 - The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 3rd-party source Dopaminergic Control of Sleep–Wake States ]
Dopamine=refreshed wakefulness
Adequate serotonin and dopamine levels will help you achieve the right balance of restful sleep and help you wake up feeling refreshed.
Serotonin vs Dopamine: Personality trait
The way you interact with people is influenced by the delicate balance of brain chemicals. Balancing serotonin and dopamine can help improve your social behaviour
Due to serotonin’s role in promoting calm demeanor, low levels increase aggressive behaviour [13 Trusted Source 2008 - Aggression and Violent Behavior Research evaluation Role of serotonin and dopamine system interactions in the neurobiology of impulsive aggression and its comorbidity with other clinical disorders ] . The role of serotonin in promoting social behaviour was consistently seen by experimentally increasing and decreasing serotonin levels. Adequate serotonin helps maintain control over impulsiveness and harming others, which helps to promote positive behaviour. When serotonin levels were increased, people were more likely to avoid harmful behaviour [14 Trusted Source 2013 - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Research evaluation How serotonin shapes moral judgment and behavior ] .
In situations where you want to keep your cool, and behave peacefully, ensure that your serotonin and dopamine levels are topped up and in balance.
Serotonin vs Dopamine: Social behaviour
Serotonin and dopamine together promote pro-social behaviour. Maintaining optimal serotonin levels will make you more selfless. Participants with higher serotonin levels contributed 53% more money to charity compared to those with low levels [15 Trusted Source 2014 - Frontiers in Psychology Research evaluation Tryptophan promotes charitable donating ] . Increasing serotonin levels increased empathetic behaviour and avoidance of harm to others [16 Trusted Source 2010 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Research evaluation Serotonin selectively influences moral judgment and behavior through effects on harm aversion ] .
Optimal serotonin=More empathy + selflessness
Humans are social creatures and dopamine plays a big role in harbouring community spirit. Positive social interactions are considered to be a gratifying experience because the brain sees happy interactions the same way it sees food and money, as rewards. Activating dopamine brain cells improved communication and increased social interaction in animal studies [17 Trusted Source 2016 - Elsevier Research evaluation Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation ] . Humans kept in isolation, activated dopamine cells when they looked at pictures of their favourite social activity [18 Trusted Source 2020 - Nature Neuroscience Human study Acute social isolation evokes midbrain craving responses similar to hunger ] .
Optimal dopamine=positive community spirit
Serotonin and dopamine perform different functions but are inter-connected. Their optimal balance is essential for happiness, good sleep-wake cycle, positive personality traits and living in harmony with others.
Watch this video to learn more on how to enhance both to bring joy:
References
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- Whitaker-Azmitia, P. (1999). The Discovery of Serotonin and its Role in Neuroscience. Neuropsychopharmacology, [online] 21(2), pp.2S8S. https://www.nature.com/articles/1395355
- Yeragani, V. K., Tancer, M., Chokka, P., & Baker, G. B. (2010). Arvid Carlsson, and the story of dopamine. Indian journal of psychiatry, 52(1), 87–88. https://journals.lww.com/indianjpsychiatry/fulltext/2010/52010/arvid_carlsson,_and_the_story_of_dopamine.23.aspx
- Richard, D.M., et al. (2009). L-Tryptophan: Basic Metabolic Functions, Behavioral Research and Therapeutic Indications. International Journal of Tryptophan Research, [online] 2, p.IJTR.S2129. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.4137/IJTR.S2129
- Walton, M.E. and Bouret, S. (2019). What Is the Relationship between Dopamine and Effort? Trends in Neurosciences, [online] 42(2), pp.79–91. https://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/fulltext/S0166-2236(18)30272-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0166223618302728%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
-
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- Iwasaki, K. et al. (2018). Ablation of Central Serotonergic Neurons Decreased REM Sleep and Attenuated Arousal Response. Frontiers in neuroscience, 12, 535. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00535/full
- Peever, J., & Fuller, P. M. (2016). Neuroscience: A Distributed Neural Network Controls REM Sleep. Current biology : CB, 26(1), R34–R35. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)01372-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098221501372X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
- Volkow, N. D. et al. (2012). Evidence that sleep deprivation downregulates dopamine D2R in ventral striatum in the human brain. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 32(19), 6711–6717. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/19/6711
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- Dzirasa, K., Ribeiro, S., Costa, R., Santos, L. M., Lin, S. C., Grosmark, A., Sotnikova, T. D., Gainetdinov, R. R., Caron, M. G., & Nicolelis, M. A. (2006). Dopaminergic control of sleep-wake states. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 26(41), 10577–10589. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/41/10577
- Seo, D., Patrick, C. J., & Kennealy, P. J. (2008). Role of Serotonin and Dopamine System Interactions in the Neurobiology of Impulsive Aggression and its Comorbidity with other Clinical Disorders. Aggression and violent behavior, 13(5), 383–395. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359178908000438?via%3Dihub
- Siegel, J. Z., & Crockett, M. J. (2013). How serotonin shapes moral judgment and behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1299(1), 42–51. https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12229
- Steenbergen, L., Sellaro, R., & Colzato, L. S. (2014). Tryptophan promotes charitable donating. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 1451. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01451/full
- Crockett, M.J., Clark, L., Hauser, M.D. and Robbins, T.W. (2010). Serotonin selectively influences moral judgment and behavior through effects on harm aversion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [online] 107(40), pp.17433–17438. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1009396107
- Matthews, G. et al. (2016). Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation. Cell, 164(4), pp.617–631. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(15)01704-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867415017043%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
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Can you take this with Prozac, then ween off while taking this product?
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