Well , that's not pure coincidence . That's because desire and the need to move in order to pursue and reach goals are one and the same process . So if I desire a sandwich or I desire a cup of coffee or I desire some water .
That increase in dopamine is by no happenstance . No mistake relates also to our propensity and desire to move . Remember earlier , I told you there's a separate circuit of dopamine that triggers movement and that when it's depleted is causing things like deficits and movement related to Parkinson's or other movement disorders .
But then here's the key thing very soon after I realized my desire for something that peak that was caused by the desire comes down and drops below baseline below the level of dopamine that it was prior to even thinking about the sandwich or the coffee or the glass of water . And it's that drop below baseline that triggers my desire to go out and find that sandwich , that coffee , that water or that blank insert , whatever it is that you happen to desire action or substance of any kind or person , et cetera . So that drop below baseline is fundamental to the whole process .
When I'm thirsty , there's an increase in dopamine that we could call a little mini peak in dopamine . But then here's the key thing very soon after I realized my desire for something that peak that was caused by the desire comes down and drops below baseline below the level of dopamine that it was prior to even thinking about the sandwich or the coffee or the glass of water . And it's that drop below baseline that triggers my desire to go out and find that sandwich , that coffee , that water or that blank insert , whatever it is that you happen to desire action or substance of any kind or person , et cetera .
OK . So all of this might seem a little bit complicated , but it's all very simple desire for things increases dopamine . But then our level of dopamine drops below baseline and it's that drop below baseline that triggers the motivation to bring that dopamine level back up by going and pursuing the thing that you wanted in the first place .
