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Dopamine
▪ Flows when you succeed. It’s the feeling ‘I got it!’
▪ Often known as the ‘reward chemical’ – it keeps us coming
back for more.
▪ It is even stronger as an anticipatory chemical – it is
released even at the thought of getting something.
▪ Dopamine levels peak in adolescence. Some neuroscientists
also believe the dopamine is ‘supercharged’ during
adolescence.
▪ It can cause young people to be impulsive: the pull of the
reward is so strong and quick that the pre-frontal cortex
does not have time to engage and act rationally.
