Dopamine Levels Tied to Success & Social Status

DolceTracker|Researchers have discovered that increased social status and increased social support can correlate with the density of dopamine D2/D3 receptors in the striatum, a region of the brain that lays a central role in reward and motivation.

The data suggests that peole who achiever greater social status are more likely to be able to experience life as rewarding and stimulating because they have more targets for dopamine to act upon within the striatum.

In the nature vs nurture debate, scientists are suggesting that nature — in the deliverable of dopamine — makes certain people seek higher social status and interaction in social situations. They are higher achievers in pursuing a set of more publicly recognized social rewards — money, status, peer recognition.

Researchers noted that low levels of D2/D3 receptors may be associated with risk for alcohol and substance use. This is a positively fascinating piece of research on motivation and human behavior. My next question is whether there’s a positive correlation between levels of dopamine and one’s Myers-Briggs personality indicator. via Science Daily