Disney films showed us this: the joy is one of basic emotions of the human being (and not only). However, it does not have the appearance of an effervescent fairy, but is more like a cocktail of substances circulating in some specific areas of our brain. At a neurochemical level, joy is in fact the result of a complex game of interactions between neurotransmitters And neural circuits. In fact, we talk about gratification, motivation, positive emotions and reward as a general set of sensations which identify, in our experience, moments of joy. The main substances involved are dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin, which intoxicate deep areas of our brain, such as the ventral striatum, the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala and the hypothalamus.
Joy, although a basic emotion, is a complex emotion
From the work of Paul Ekman, joy is generally considered by psychologists to be one of the basic emotionsdefined as such as universal (found in all cultures) and observable through facial expressions, which are accompanied by distinctive physiological and behavioral manifestations.
Yet it remains complex to define the psychological facets and neural patterns that give life to this sensation, and when scientists go to look for it in the brain they find themselves having to dissect this emotion which, to be understood on a neuroscientific level, is broken down by analyzing the circuits of gratification, motivation , positive emotions and reward, sensations that we collectively identify as joy. Thus suggesting to us that joy appears more like a neurocognitive mosaic than a linear uniform background.
In fact, there are many substances and areas of the brain that modulate and are involved in those sensations which, when experienced, make us say without a doubt that we have felt joy and even more so are the interactions that arise from electrochemical dance of our brain in certain life contexts.
What chemicals are the basis of joy?
There dopamine is always the first suspect when it comes to rewards for the brain, and therefore also the sensation of happiness or of joy. It is the substance that drives us to search rewarding stimuli and that guides our behavior towards seeking rewards, and does so with intense rushes of pleasure associated with certain actions or experiences.
Credit: NIH, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
There serotoninanother key neurotransmitter, plays a role in regulatinghumor which is now evident in scientific literature. It is studied with particular attention regarding its connection with the depressionand more generally with respect to average mood levels: in a study by the South African University of the Witwatersrand a decrease in polemical behavior and a mood improvement in healthy people with high irritability who were administered tryptophan (an amino acid from which we obtain serotonin) compared to the group who was administered a placebo.
Then we find theoxytocina neuropeptide crucial in the creation and consolidation of social tiesin affiliation and maternal behavior. Lastly, but equally important, are the endorphinsendogenous opioids that act as natural analgesics, modulating our responses to pain and stress, contributing in particular to the achievement of sensations of pleasure and, even, euphoria!
Which areas of the brain are involved in joy?
The neurotransmitters just described act on particular areas of the brain, closely interconnected in the positive processes of gratification and reward. It acts in particular on ventral striatum and in the prefrontal cortex: the first is located under the cortex, and is therefore part of older brain regions
The first area affected is lo striatedalso called “core of the base“: it is positioned under the cerebral cortex and is part of the oldest brain regions. It is made up of various structures and, in particular, the portion called ventral striatum (the underlying part of the striatum) is massively connected to the nucleus accumbenswhose neurons they use dopamine as the main neurotransmitter. It therefore plays a crucial role in the system reward of the brain and is activated in response to rewarding stimuli or in relation to the search for new stimulipushing us to act to reach them and thus have new dopamine rushes. Given its importance in the experience of pleasure, it goes without saying that the ventral striatum also plays a significant role in the emotion of joy.
There prefrontal cortex it is instead “more rational” and, by evaluating stimuli, plays an important role in decision-making and emotional regulation. The so-called ventromedial portion receives stimuli directly from the ventral striatum: in this way it integrates information regarding rewards with other aspects of the decision-making contextsuch as individual preferences and the evaluation of consequences long-term pursuit of pleasure.
Then there is the very famous one amygdala. Always mentioned when talking about fear and anxietyhas been re-evaluated in recent years thanks to the accumulation of data on its role in positive emotions and as a contribution to the memorization of exciting events. In studies of nonhuman primates, the amygdala was activated during positive social interactionssuggesting that it is important in modulating adaptive social behaviors. Brain imaging studies in humans have shown increased amygdala activity in response to rewarding social interaction stimuli.
Finally, also thehypothalamus, ancient structure located right in the center of our skull, comes into play in the emotion of joy as, in addition to regulating fundamental functions such as hunger, thirst and body temperature, it is responsible for the release ofoxytocin.
