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Gilded-Mongoose t1_j1r40b6 wrote

Right. And like…pleasure. It’s a series of chemicals sent to our brain telling us that it’s “good” - but how the hell do we actually process and experience it as such!? Both that and things like itches. What is it that makes that difference between understanding something as a signal of “yes this is a good thing” or “an itch” vs actually experiencing the thing and knowing what to do?

I WISH I could simply experience pain or discomfort on an objective level, like a car light going on - but something about it is just too subjective. What is that “thing” on a biological / neurological level beyond the base mechanisms?

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tamponinja t1_j1t6j0x wrote

Phd neuroscience here. Different neurotransmitter systems are used to distinguish these sensations. Sometimes singularly and sometimes in concert with others. For one pleasurable experiences take place via the mesolimbic dopamine system. This system is used in collaboration with other sensory inputs to distinguish X = good.

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