“DA
Every part of living is divided in this way: we have one way of dealing with what we want, and another way of dealing with what we have. Wanting a house, experiencing the kind of desire that motivates the hard work necessary to find it and purchase it, uses a different set of brain circuits than enjoying it once it’s yours. Anticipating a raise activates future-oriented dopamine, and it feels very different from the here-and-now experience of receiving the larger paycheck for the second or third time. And finding love takes a different set of skills than making love stay”
DA
“Dopaminergic drugs can do the same thing. Although some patients who take dopaminergic drugs for Parkinson’s disease develop devastating compulsions, others experience enhanced creativity. One patient who came from a family of poets had never done any creative writing. After starting dopamine-boosting drugs for his Parkinson’s disease, he wrote a poem that won the annual contest of the International Association of Poets. Painters treated with Parkinson’s medication often increase their use of vivid color. One patient who developed a new style after being treated said, “The new style is less precise but more vibrant. I have a need to express myself more. I just let myself go.” Just like Winnie-the-Pooh: “It is the best way to write poetry, letting things come.”
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