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“Where is pleasure born: in the body or in the brain? The human brain has special departments responsible for pleasure - what is called the pleasure center or the reward center. When exposed to this center, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released, which is precisely responsible for the sensation of pleasure. It turns out that without a brain there is no pleasure!
However, it is worth considering that the brain alone is not capable of much: it must interact with the body in order to activate these centers of pleasure - or, conversely, grief. And, more importantly, it is from the interaction of the body with the outside world, in other words, from the information that the body sends to the brain, that our own perception of pleasure is born. However, the same sensory information will trigger memories that will please one person while leaving another indifferent. Of course, we are born with a brain programmed millions of years ago to perceive pleasant and unpleasant sensations, and nothing can be done about it, but on the scale of one lifetime, personal experience can transform our feelings, giving them shades that are unique to us.
Two stories, two proofs
"These words changed my life"
“I never liked frank words,” says 42-year-old Irina. – They have something dirty, something from porn. At the age of thirty, I read two or three books that described the world of male fantasies, all this was not for me. And four years ago I met Luka. It was love at first sight… like a lightning strike! In one of the first meetings, when we made love, he whispered these obscene words to me - very quietly and modestly. And it didn't shock me, but it turned my life upside down. It was as if he had opened the door for me to something very intimate about him that he himself had found difficult to tame and even acknowledge. At first I listened to him and pretended not to hear. But we both knew that these words existed between us and participated in our interaction and in the pleasure we received from them. Gradually, he began to whisper them not so quietly, and I decided to answer him, little by little and not necessarily in words. It took us a while to confidently step into this new territory. Say it louder, eye to eye. Play, laugh, try - and push the boundaries. And also write to each other words of desire and pleasure, sometimes very specific and very frank. The effect was electric and immediate! I am surprised, I enjoy this heat and unexplored horizons that these words have opened in me. Now this is the territory of our game, just for the two of us, a beautiful space of freedom, secret and precious, with exceptional power. Even irresistible."
“If I tell him about this, it will upset him and unpleasantly surprise him”
“In general, I prefer to act rather than talk,” says 55-year-old Frank. - Sex is, first of all, something that can be seen, experienced, shared with someone, and it is not necessary to discuss it for a long time. This has always been enough for me - until the moment I met Leonid, a very subtle, prudent and modest man, and I fell in love with him almost against my will. In sex, he is the same as in life: simple and without much fantasies. It was really too much for me, but I thought that if I told him about it, it would offend him, upset him and unpleasantly strike him. Worse, I'm kind of questioning his whole identity, and I think it could completely ruin our relationship. My previous lover was a carrier of the AIDS virus, and this significantly complicated our relationship: I wanted open, easy and playful sex, and his condition made this impossible. When I talked to him about it, he was terribly offended. I do not want this to happen again with Leonid, and therefore I am silent. Which does not prevent us from moving very slowly towards small “innovations”, which are always supported not only by conversations. This path requires tenderness, subtlety, the ability to feel shades. This upsets me, and sometimes a lot, I would like to allow myself to tell him that sex, even dirty, is beautiful and good. I don't think he would understand it; the most I happen to do is tease him for it from time to time. Leonid gradually understands one thing or the other, and I do not lose hope that little by little I will make him a big gourmet in sex. In anticipation of this, I discover how much he knows how to love, it's amazing. And I admire how simply he gives himself, needing only the words “I love you” for this.
Incredible Facts
How does the human brain create such complex sensations as the feeling of joy and pleasure? Professor of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University Medical Institute (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), David Linden (David Linden), studying the properties of human memory, devoted a whole book to this, which he called "The Compass of Pleasure" ( The Compass of Pleasure ). In it, he revealed, in particular, the principles by which a person has a strong desire, dependence and satisfaction. Some of Linden's conclusions from this book are presented in this article.
Pleasure and pain: side by side
Many people have heard that the hormone dopamine(so-called neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger between nerve cells) is responsible for the sensation of pleasure in the human brain. However, not all so simple. How does it really work?
Strange as it may sound, the production of the hormone dopamine accompanies not only the feeling of pleasure, but also pain. Imagine, for example, that we scan the brain of a person who is currently hungry. At the same time, you show him pictures of his favorite foods. You will be able to observe how in the anatomical structure of his brain, called striatum(this part is also called the striatum, since in Latin the striatum is called - corpus striatum )
The hormone dopamine is released. Of course, if a person is offered to taste their favorite food at the time of the brain scan, the release of dopamine can also be observed.
So, it becomes clear that dopamine, in essence, is ins and outs of pleasure. If we ask people to simply describe the pleasure they get from food (or from any other pleasant activity), we again can observe a surge of dopamine.
Thus, it becomes clear that the effect caused by dopamine is inextricably related to desires and needs that dominate a person's life. And this means that dopamine is associated with something very significant for the individual. In other words, the hormone itself would probably describe the process of dopamine in the following way (if it knew how to communicate!): "It seems that something emotionally significant is happening for this person. Something that will help him survive and leave healthy offspring. So you need to stand out!"
However, there are studies that demonstrate that the release of dopamine in the brain can occur with stimulation of the pleasure centers and centers responsible for pain. How can this be? Very simple. The point is that pain and pleasure are the strongest irritants. Again, they seem to be telling the hormone that something important is happening! Gotta stand out!
On the one hand, this sounds amazing and suggests masochists (why not?). On the other hand, have you ever seen how much pleasure does a person who loves spicy food get when eating chili peppers, for example? And yet it still hurts! The principle of action in this case is exactly the same - the nervous system of the brain understands that something important is happening for a person (he likes it!), And that is why eating peppery and spicy is associated with the release of dopamine.
Anticipation of pleasure or pleasure itself?
Some researchers argue that dopamine is not a hormone that signals pleasure, but a hormone released in anticipation of pleasure. And really - everything is not so simple. It seems that we are endowed with the ability to snatch positive moments even in what has not yet come (and it is not known if it will come!). For example, put yourself in a situation in which you receive information about what is in the future ( perhaps distant and uncertain) you "shine" some kind of profit or a pleasant experience (the opportunity to go on an exciting journey). In fact, you still do not know whether this very profit will take place, whether this very journey will take place, but you feel for a second how joyful excitement embraces you- this is all he, the released hormone dopamine.
According to some scientists, this does not mean at all that dopamine only informs about the approaching (possible) pleasure. Still more difficult. Try talking to an avid gambler about the game. He will enjoy the very thought of playing.- and that's the way it really is. Many of the avid players enjoy not so much the winnings as the process itself. Naturally, such people have sat at the card table more than once, or played roulette, and, perhaps, it was the experience causes them to secrete the hormone of pleasure.
And perhaps this issue should be considered from the point of view of evolution. Evolution is a very slow process, and we live in an environment where culture and technology are developing extremely rapidly. Too little time has passed since we lived in caves, gathered berries and hunted animals to survive. Now we live very differently, however evolutionary changes that should have adapted us better to modern life have not yet occurred.
The person who was hunter-gatherer constantly faced food shortages. In these hungry conditions, every hunting trip was accompanied by a risk to life. At the same time, such hunting did not guarantee prey, so every time a person awakens the anticipation of something new, something that still needs to be found, but that will bring a feeling of satiety and satisfaction. Such feelings push forward, give a chance to survive and force them to continue their race.
We now live in a situation where there is no need to risk life and defy nature in order to survive by getting prey and food. Now man lives in society, and the burden of this struggle has shifted from one person to a group of people. And if this group includes people with a pronounced individuality, such a group is more adapted to the hardships of modern life.
Sex and drugs - dopamine is to blame
Nowadays, one of the easiest ways to achieve pleasure has become drugs. A person quickly became dependent on them, since taking drugs is immediately "rewarded" with a burst of pleasure. However, this also works "pleasure reward system" and after eating and having sex. Why does a person fall into such an addiction precisely because of drugs?
The fact is that a person can also become addicted to food and sex. If addiction to sex is rare enough, then addiction to food is a fairly common phenomenon. Take at least people who suffer from obesity. The causes of obesity are known - it is excesses in food, lack of physical activity, or some kind of metabolic disorders. However, in 90 percent of cases Obesity is caused precisely by immoderation in eating.
There is a false belief in the world that the human desire for pleasure is to blame for everything, which makes a person try to derive pleasure from everything. If we look at the genetic factors of obesity, we can say that the same hormone dopamine, which stimulates human pleasure centers, prompting him to eat delicious food, is to blame for a person's susceptibility to obesity. Thus, from the point of view of biology, we can conclude that in human attachments and addictions (harmful or beneficial) dopamine is to blame.
"Treat" one pleasure with another
It is noteworthy that in all people the hormone dopamine causes a different reaction. Some may only enjoy food and drugs, but someone fanatically devoted to swimming, getting the most satisfaction from it in life. And someone just goes crazy from collecting herbariums or collecting coins.
The fact is that the relationship between the part of the brain responsible for emotions, memory, consciousness and between the so-called brain reward system depends on the individual's experience. It happens that you enjoyed something else in early childhood, and your brain has stored the memory of it, and now you will always be "forced" to enjoy just that. Thus, the reason lies in the experience that brought pleasure.
Some futurist scientists believe that using this principle, in the future it will be possible to create special equipment that can be worn on the head. affect human brain centers of pleasure in such a way as to wean him from drugs, accustoming, for example, to collecting stamps.
However, as David Linden notes, he observed a similar experiment in the 50s of the last century, when a system of electrodes was attached to a man’s head, to "wean" him from homosexuality. However, scientists did not receive encouraging results then, explaining all this by serious mental disorders of the experimental subject. However, to be frank, electroshock treatment in psychiatric hospitals, too, can be called "influencing the pleasure centers."
Hobbies, music, food - only a small fraction of what can bring pleasure to a person. The “pleasure center” is located in the brain and can be stimulated. The main thing is not to overdo it.
"Organ of Seduction"
In 1954, two American scientists, James Olds and Peter Milner, decided to conduct an experiment. The brains of experimental rats in cages were irritated with an electric current. It was necessary to prove that the rats would avoid the part of their cage where the unpleasant experience took place. All rats confirmed the assumptions of scientists. Except one. For some reason, she wanted to repeat the procedure.
When the rat's brain was opened, it turned out that the electrode was implanted with a small error and acted on a part of the brain, which was later called the "pleasure center". Later, scientists discovered such a center in humans, located in the ventral striatum. He is responsible for attraction, temptations and addictions.
Modern neuroscientists have refined the results of the Olds-Milner experiment. They called the pleasure center a “reinforcement system” that does not so much deliver pleasant sensations as promises them.
Looking forward to the reward
The fact that when stimulating the "pleasure center" the most important chemical that transmits nerve impulses is the neurotransmitter dopamine, scientists have long established. But in 2001, Stanford neuroscientist Brian Knutson revealed its more subtle role. He found that dopamine is not responsible for the pleasure of the reward, but for the anticipation of receiving it.
According to Knutson, our brain, based on previous experience, when we see or feel something that we might like - a favorite food, a discount in a store, or a sexual object - triggers a “reinforcement system”. With an influx of dopamine, the object of desire seems vital to us: it is the neurotransmitter that pushes us to action and forces us to take possession of what attracted us.
Any positive experience, be it a successful purchase or a romantic dinner, stimulates the production of dopamine. Nature has taken care of the mechanism that contributes to our survival. The hungry cannot be left without food, just because it is troublesome to get it, and the human race should not be interrupted because it is not easy to win a potential partner.
"Orgasm Center"
If the drive of sexual desire is provided by the "reinforcement system", then another part of the brain is responsible for orgasm. The “Orgasm Center” was found by scientists from the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Budapest. The discovery was helped by a woman who suffered from epileptic seizures, before the onset of which she experienced an orgasm.
As a result of the study of brain activity, scientists led by Dr. Joseph Jansky found that the focus that provokes orgasm is located in the right hemisphere, presumably in the part of the brain called the amygdala. This structure is known to be responsible for many important functions, including the emotional sphere.
As scientists have revealed, the "center of orgasm" is consistent with the functions of the central nervous system, through which the work of the glands and muscles is controlled. The "center of orgasm" is primarily affected by external stimuli, signals coming through the organs of vision, hearing and touch.
Need to know the measure
Statistics show that men are twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol as women. And all because the stronger sex produces more dopamine.
Both men and women over 18 took part in the Yale and Columbia studies. Subjects who consumed a certain amount of alcohol were scanned by a positron emission tomograph. Using this procedure, it was possible to measure the amount of dopamine produced. In men, its content was higher. The greatest release of the hormone was observed in the ventral striatum, where the area responsible for pleasure and addiction is located.
As explained by one of the authors of the study, Nina Urban, in men, the release of more dopamine was associated with a subjective feeling of pleasure from alcohol intoxication.
Aesthetic enjoyment
The hormone dopamine is produced not only with physical pleasure, but also with aesthetic pleasure. Such for example, as the contemplation of works of art. Researchers led by Robert Zattore from the Institute of Neurology of Montreal tried to understand the mechanisms of the relationship between dopamine and aesthetic perception.
In the experiment, the subjects were asked to listen to unfamiliar musical fragments. The participants in the experiment were connected to a functional MRI machine, thanks to which the experimenters could see the areas of the brain that responded to music. The reaction followed immediately: several zones were activated, the most active of which turned out to be the nucleus accumbens, which is part of the "pleasure center".
It turned out that the nucleus accumbens of each person has an individual shape that reflects certain aesthetic tastes. The stronger the pleasure, the more neural connections are formed, which, as you know, form the basis of our cognitive (mental) abilities.
“When we hear a combination of sounds, that is, music, the parts of our brain responsible for pattern recognition, prediction and emotional perception begin to interact with each other, and we get aesthetic pleasure,” Robert Zattore commented on the work.
I want more
Scientists have long noticed that pleasure appears in a state of anticipation and reaches its peak at the first contact with the desired. For example, when the first piece of your favorite food enters your mouth. Having lost the desired feeling, a person again seeks to experience it.
The French psychoanalyst Dominique Miller rightly remarks: “Nothing in the world is capable of giving us pleasure all the time. And in order to experience this feeling again and again, we have to look for new objects.
In order to increase the brightness of the experienced sensations and prolong the pleasure, many resort to artificial stimulation of the production of dopamine. Alcohol and nicotine block the destruction of the hormone after the expected effect, which increases the degree of pleasure received.
However, doctors do not recommend getting too carried away with dopamine stimulation, as the brain gets used to artificially increased levels of dopamine, reducing its natural production.
Hobbies, music, food - only a small fraction of what can bring pleasure to a person. The “pleasure center” is located in the brain and can be stimulated. The main thing is not to overdo it.
"Organ of Seduction"
In 1954, two American scientists - James Olds and Peter Milner decided to conduct an experiment. The brains of experimental rats in cages were irritated with an electric current. It was necessary to prove that the rats would avoid the part of their cage where the unpleasant experience took place. All rats confirmed the assumptions of scientists. Except one. For some reason, she wanted to repeat the procedure.
When the rat's brain was opened, it turned out that the electrode was implanted with a small error and acted on a part of the brain, which was later called the "pleasure center". Later, scientists discovered such a center in humans, located in the ventral striatum. He is responsible for attraction, temptations and addictions.
Modern neuroscientists have refined the results of the Olds-Milner experiment. They called the pleasure center a “reinforcement system” that does not so much deliver pleasant sensations as promises them.
Looking forward to the reward
The fact that when stimulating the "pleasure center" the most important chemical that transmits nerve impulses is the neurotransmitter dopamine, scientists have long established. But in 2001, Stanford neuroscientist Brian Knutson revealed its more subtle role. He found that dopamine is not responsible for the pleasure of the reward, but for the anticipation of receiving it.
According to Knutson, our brain, based on previous experience, when we see or feel something that we might like - a favorite food, a discount in a store, or a sexual object - triggers a “reinforcement system”. With an influx of dopamine, the object of desire seems vital to us: it is the neurotransmitter that pushes us to action and forces us to take possession of what attracted us.
Any positive experience, be it a successful purchase or a romantic dinner, stimulates the production of dopamine. Nature has taken care of the mechanism that contributes to our survival. The hungry cannot be left without food just because it is troublesome to get it, and the human race should not be interrupted because it is not easy to win a potential partner.
"Orgasm Center"
If the drive of sexual desire is provided by the "reinforcement system", then another part of the brain is responsible for orgasm. The “Orgasm Center” was found by scientists from the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Budapest. The discovery was helped by a woman who suffered from epileptic seizures, before the onset of which she experienced an orgasm.
As a result of the study of brain activity, scientists led by Dr. Joseph Jansky found that the focus that provokes orgasm is located in the right hemisphere, presumably in the part of the brain called the amygdala. This structure is known to be responsible for many important functions, including the emotional sphere.
As scientists have revealed, the "center of orgasm" is consistent with the functions of the central nervous system, through which the work of the glands and muscles is controlled. The "center of orgasm" is primarily affected by external stimuli, signals coming through the organs of vision, hearing and touch.
Need to know the measure
Statistics show that men are twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol as women. And all because the former produce more dopamine.
Both men and women over 18 took part in the Yale and Columbia studies. Subjects who consumed a certain amount of alcohol were scanned by a positron emission tomograph. Using this procedure, it was possible to measure the amount of dopamine produced. In men, its content was higher. The greatest release of the hormone was observed in the ventral striatum, where the area responsible for pleasure and addiction is located.
Aesthetic enjoyment
The hormone dopamine is produced not only with physical pleasure, but also with aesthetic pleasure. Such for example, as the contemplation of works of art. Researchers led by Robert Zattore from the Institute of Neurology of Montreal tried to understand the mechanisms of the relationship between dopamine and aesthetic perception.
In the experiment, the subjects were asked to listen to unfamiliar musical fragments. The participants in the experiment were connected to a functional MRI machine, thanks to which the experimenters could see the areas of the brain that responded to music. The reaction followed immediately: several zones were activated, the most active of which turned out to be the nucleus accumbens, which is part of the "pleasure center".
It turned out that the nucleus accumbens of each person has an individual shape that reflects certain aesthetic tastes. The stronger the pleasure, the more neural connections are formed, which, as you know, form the basis of our cognitive (mental) abilities.
“When we hear a combination of sounds, that is, music, the parts of our brain responsible for pattern recognition, prediction and emotional perception begin to interact with each other, and we get aesthetic pleasure,” Robert Zattore commented on the work.
I want more
Scientists have long noticed that pleasure appears in a state of anticipation and reaches its peak at the first contact with the desired. For example, when the first piece of your favorite food enters your mouth. Having lost the desired feeling, a person again seeks to experience it.
The French psychoanalyst Dominique Miller rightly remarks: “Nothing in the world is capable of giving us pleasure all the time. And in order to experience this feeling again and again, we have to look for new objects.
In order to increase the brightness of the experienced sensations and prolong the pleasure, many resort to artificial stimulation of the production of dopamine. Alcohol and nicotine block the destruction of the hormone after the expected effect, which increases the degree of pleasure received.
The message "Pleasure Center": what it is and where it is located first appeared on Smart.
