cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/7156263
With all the hormones and whatnot inside. Dopamine, adrenaline, melatonin, whatever. Also, there’s this Hunter S. Thompson bit on the… pineal gland?
If it had an effect on you, wouldn’t it be a really messed up high, all over the place? With uppers, downers etc mixed? (Not including the emotional implications of eating raw human brains.)
No, neurotransmitters don’t work that way. It’s like asking if capturing the energy from your house wifi’s radio signals, and using it to charge your laptop, would cause your housemates’ browser history to show up on your screen.
The popular conception of dopamine as reward/reinforcement is almost entirely incorrect. While your brain does use dopamine in reward-related signaling, it also uses it in aversion-related signaling, which is just the opposite. And also in motor coordination, which is why Parkinson’s involves dopamine problems and is treated with dopamine-related drugs like levodopa. (And levodopa is not addictive, contrary to the popular conception of dopamine.)