How Do Dopamine And Serotonin Affect Our Perception Of Reality?

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How Do Dopamine And Serotonin Affect Our Perception Of Reality?

I have been very Interested in this topic for a while now.

Last year I did an article about SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), and How They Can Affect Lucid Dreaming. {Read This HERE<<}

Prior to this I knew that certain medications could enhance the likelihood of Lucid Dreaming. I also knew from experience that I had my own Lucid Dreams whilst coming down off drugs and alcohol.

So I never knew this before but what I learnt was that things like hallucinations, psychosis and VERY strange (Lucid) dreams have all been linked with Serotonin deficiency.

Just like what is caused by SSRIs – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors which are typically prescribed as antidepressants such as Prozac.

Really I covered this in that previous article fairly well I thought but it was something I wanted to write about again. So here it is…

How Do Dopamine And Serotonin Affect Our Perception Of Reality?

Table of Contents

Dopamine I don’t really know too much about but from what I can gather, low levels of Serotonin cause an Overproduction of Dopamine which is what causes a kind of breakdown of our usual 5 sense perception.

This being what we typically experience as Psychosis, Hallucinations and Strange (Lucid) Dreams.

I would suggest this could be the human antenna tapping into different bands of frequency but who knows it is very strange.

In my own experience last year, I had a pretty major drinking binge for a about a week last year. I mean to be honest I had several because I was stopping for 3-4 weeks at a time and then drinking non stop to make up for lost time – morning till night.

It wasn’t just alcohol either but it was mostly and I started to notice that the worse I got with my drinking the more I was starting to see (hallucinate) and hear things. I think when I was writing my SSRIs for Lucid Dreams article this really made me wonder.

Especially during one night I kind of blacked out. Like I was walking home in the dark and I walked for a whole 20 mins – half hour in the wrong direction. It was like I literally was sleep walking. I ended up going to my sisters as I was just so confused. She wouldn’t have normally let me stay but she was worried about me.

She said that I scared the hell out of here that night. She was on one sofa and I was on the other, and according to hear it was like I was possessed or something as whilst I was asleep I was crying and screaming.

It really felt like I was losing grip of reality. Although, what I thought about this experience was that I could have low Serotonin. Just like when people are taking SSRIs and their Serotonin Reuptake is being forced to close its channels – Causing a rapid Increase in Dopamine production.

The Relationship Between Dopamine and Serotonin

Dopamine is scientifically known as the reward chemical. It is released under certain conditions in response to pleasure, reward, motivation and movement.

For me I think this is surely a big reason why people drink. NOT because they like the taste of it as Alcohol is a poison that is toxic to the human body but people drink it because it inhibits our Serotonin Reuptake and Increases Dopamine production – giving us more of those feel good moments.

If we think about addiction in general whether this be;

Tobacco,
Drugs,
Sex,
Chocolate and Sugar,
Caffeine,
Junk Food or
Compulsive Spending Habits
(and the list goes on)…

Each are all because of our desire for the brain to release dopamine. Yet, this is where things become weird. Without being kept in check with Serotonin the effects of Dopamine can really seem start to tear at the fabric of reality. I’m sure any person that gets sectioned due to poor mental health likely (I would even say most certainly) has this chemical Imbalance.

The Effects of Overproduction of Dopamine

This video I think pretty much nails it – psychiatric disorders and mania are caused by Dopamine overproduction. This Itself is caused by Low Serotonin –

But about our Perception of Reality under these conditions?

What is really going on?

I mean what I wonder is IF under these conditions we are decoding Information that our human antenna is not usually picking up.

Maybe I might seem crazy myself writing this but I wonder if the things people are being labelled crazy for are really happening?

It’s like when people see ghosts (I think) this is like when your listening to a radio and it goes out of range and you pick up another station.

Life is such a strange thing.

The Nature of Reality, different dimensions, simultaneous bands of frequency all on top of each other.

To me Serotonin is what keeps us in check to stop our heads exploding from an overload of Information.

It is such an Interesting thing – How Do Dopamine And Serotonin Affect Our Perception Of Reality?

But to be honest this whole topic I really have struggled to find the words to get down on this page – I mean I think I have now but because of this I asked this question on Quora.

What is The True Role of Serotonin and Dopamine (Quora Q & A)

So I recently asked this question on Quora. In this next section I will share the answers I got in response as I think this is definitely something that is quite speculative and of course my conclusions will not be the same as other peoples.

You can check out my question on Quora HERE but so far I have copied and pasted the answers so far below. Now…

Here are the answers…

Hawkr’s Wrote:

Dopamine and Serotonin play important roles in regulating mood, perception, and cognition, which can influence our sense of reality in various ways.

Dopamine, often associated with pleasure and reward, is involved in motivation, attention, and reinforcement learning. Higher levels of Dopamine can enhance focus and motivation, potentially leading to a more positive Perception of Reality.

Conversely, imbalances in Dopamine levels have been linked to conditions such as Schizophrenia, where altered perception of reality can occur.

Serotonin, known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, contributes to mood regulation, emotional stability, and social behaviour.

Optimal Serotonin levels are associated with feelings of happiness, contentment, and well-being, which can contribute to a more positive outlook on reality.

However, deficiencies in Serotonin have been implicated in mood disorders like depression and anxiety, which can distort one’s perception of reality and lead to negative interpretations of events.

In short, Dopamine and Serotonin do not directly dictate our sense of reality, their influence on mood and cognition can shape how we perceive and interpret the world around us.

Balancing these neurotransmitters through healthy lifestyle habits, medication (if necessary), and therapy can help maintain a more stable and accurate sense of reality.

*Not sure if I agree with everything is this answer – seems like this is colouring in between the lines a bit too much for my liking but anyway moving on…

Daneen Jan Wrote:

Dopamine and Serotonin are synapses that assume significant parts in managing different parts of our cerebrum capability, including our view of the real world (OUR REALITY).

Dopamine, frequently connected with joy and reward, is engaged with inspiration, consideration, and the handling of remunerations and discipline.

At the point when Dopamine levels are raised, for example, during snapshots of delight or energy, our view of reality might be affected to focus on remunerating upgrades.

This can prompt an increased feeling of concentration and commitment with our environmental factors, possibly modifying our view of reality by upgrading the striking nature of specific encounters.

Serotonin, on the other hand, is known for its job in temperament guideline, social way of behaving, and comprehension.

Ideal Serotonin levels are related with sensations of prosperity, happiness, and profound steadiness. At the point when Serotonin levels are low, people might encounter side effects of wretchedness or uneasiness, which can twist their impression of reality by intensifying pessimistic feelings and discernments.

*I would say this is because of overproduction of Dopamine – anyway.

Likewise, more elevated levels of Serotonin might advance a more inspirational perspective and a more clear, more adjusted view of reality by diminishing the effect of pessimistic boosts and improving close to home strength.

The collaboration among Dopamine and Serotonin is intricate and interconnected. Uneven characters in either synapse can impact how we see and decipher our general surroundings.

*Our Perception of Reality!

For instance, disturbances in Dopamine flagging have been connected to conditions like schizophrenia, where people might encounter changed view of the real world, including psychosis and hallucinations.

Essentially, Serotonin dysregulation is embroiled in state of mind problems, for example, melancholy and uneasiness, which can significantly influence one’s viewpoint on the real world.

In general, the multifaceted exchange among Dopamine and Serotonin levels adds to forming our feeling of the real world, affecting our feelings, discernments, and mental cycles.

Understanding these synapse frameworks can give important experiences into the systems fundamental our impression of the world.

This is HONESTLY quite confusing to put into words. In these cases this is why I ask these questions on sties like Quora and Reddit. So next up…

Marc Abramsky Wrote

This is a good question. How do they affect our sense of reality? Do our “feel good” neurotransmitters have anything to do with our reality or how it is perceived. Perhaps?

These neurotransmitters are responsible for how we feel. If we feel good they are working right and if we feel lousy then perhaps we are not producing enough of them?

Or so the theory goes?

*I suspect Marc doesn’t know a lot about this. At least about Dopamine overproduction but I think his answer is worth sharing.

“I suppose if you are happy then your reality might appear a little more enlightening and less bleak than if you were depressed. You would see perhaps more opportunity in your present environment and experience more pleasure based events based on your mood”.

“How you might interact with others would be a factor that influenced your immediate surroundings too. So I suppose that in some way although we still DON’T understand in a conscious way how we perceive our reality, our feelings in that reality would be important in shaping that reality.

Hence Dopamine and Serotonin might very well play a role in how we shape our reality.

*THEY ABSOLUTELY DO this is my take.

Take from this What you Will. But from my Viewpoint. The last answer I got was very Intriguing. Especially when we consider senility within the aged population.

Siri Perera Wrote

There is a reason Why We Age? Ageing is a dying process. The body deliberately takes away what we need so we become more susceptible to mood swings and immune problems, wrinkles etc.

Dopamine and serotonin are depleted by ageing.

Changes with Aging:

The level of dopamine in the human striatum (a brain region) declines by up to 50% as we age.
Serotonin levels also decrease with age across species. Imbalances in serotonin can lead to depression, mood swings, and decreased energy.

Ageing in itself is a change in our sense of reality.

Just observation will show how we age and why it happens is because the body is preparing itself to die.

But if you know how and why ageing occurs then science today is showing us that ageing is really an epigenetic process and hence it can be reversed.

Some are saying that in 5 years time we need to just take a tablet that will top up what we lose during the ageing process and can in time let us live perhaps to 150 years or 200 years but in body and brain-mind like we are still 40 years.

If ageing is an epigenetic process then we can see how reverse ageing can happen for us in the immediate future.

*this last answer REALLY fascinates me because I do wonder if in our twilight years we are starting to perceive more things outside of our normal band of frequency. However, the thing that is contradictory to me is the decrease in dopamine production.

Maybe something else is going on here rather than the brain producing too much dopamine. Possibly something that has a similar effect in causing psychiatric disorders and mania.

What I Think About This All (In Conclusion)

When we see people that are mentally well. This is due to a healthy balance of neurotransmitters (dopamine and serotonin). In retrospect to this when people are mentally ill this is due to an Imbalance.

I kind of don’t understand the transmitter part. The big thing about THIS for me is what causes the likes of psychosis, and hallucinations, and I don’t think it is so much our neurotransmitters but our neuro trans-receivers.

Something in our brain cause us to receive Information that we do not normally receive. The only counter argument is that we Imagine things. None of these things that we hallucinate and hear from out of seemingly nowhere are real. This is the official diagnosis but off the record, well?

I shall finish this article off here but if you would like to get Involved in this discussion please feel free to leave us a reply in the comments below…