Better Living Through Neurochemistry - A guide to the optimization of serotonin, dopamine and the neurotransmitters that color your world

by James Lee

Nicotine (like most drugs, including caffeine, for example) is far from being completely harmless, with addiction risk remaining a factor even if it is determined to be beneficial for the brain. However it may surprise you to note that even nicotine’s addictive qualities are being questioned, with many researchers now believing that much of tobacco’s addictiveness comes from other substances found in the plant. As nicotine’s primary benefits are cognitive in nature (with the most noticeable effects being on concentration levels), I have covered this topic at greater length in my book Brain Hacks. However nicotine also appears to be a moderately potent way to boost dopamine. As I mention regularly, anything which boosts dopamine naturally creates an addictive quality, as dopamine is the neurochemical of reward and reinforcement. Whatever addictive qualities nicotine possesses will most likely occur through this pathway.