Brain Chemical

Let’s keep talking about that fantastic thing in your head. Here is something to think about:

You’re in class. You’re following everything and listening with both ears. Then your teacher asks you a question. A lot is going on. You want to look cool in front of your friends. Your teacher wants an answer. Heads turn to look at you … 

Your brain scrambles to find the right words. You answer the question correctly, and the crowd goes wild.  

Well, not the crowd in the classroom, but the one in your head. You get a shot of a feel-good brain chemical called dopamine. (Doh–par–meen)

Your brain rewards you whenever you achieve something, no matter how small. You finally balanced on your bike. You nailed that dance step. You felt good, right? Good moods are essential for learning and remembering. 

Now, let’s reverse that situation. You weren’t following or listening. Your best friend was distracting you when the teacher dropped the question.

Instead of dopamine, this time you get adrenaline (Add–dren–a-lin). This one is the fight, flight or freeze brain chemical. That fluttery feeling in your stomach? Adrenaline at work. The trouble is, all you can do now is … not much. Adrenaline blocks pathways that you need, like remembering the correct answer.

It opens pathways it thinks you need, like your legs for running away.