More Than Chemicals: The Difference Between Pleasure and Happiness

The experience of pleasure is distinct from the experience of happiness. Quite distinct.

With pleasure, a dopamine “spike” occurs in response to an acute momentary reward. The experience feels wonderful but depletes serotonin. The ultimate consequence of repeated rushes to this pleasure center leads to the loss of dopamine receptors in the brain. With the loss of neurons comes Tolerance: a situation in which more and more “hits” are needed to feel the same impact as before — or to...

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source https://psychcentral.com/blog/more-than-chemicals-the-difference-between-pleasure-and-happiness/