I just had this random thought while lying on my roof, listening to “Young Dumb & Broke,” and being in that same state.
In: Other
Some of the answers have some of the right info, but I want to clarify something. Chemicals don’t “cause” emotions anymore than electricity “causes” video games on computers. The chemicals are necessary ingredients, but they don’t directly cause experiences. They’re just part of a complex process.
Your experience is better characterized as a complex electric-and-chemical process. E.g., the chemicals people say “cause” emotion are themselves caused by the brain choosing to release the chemicals. It’s very circular (the brain is what “decides” to release those chemicals in the first place).
The raw amount of ingredients matter less (until excess or not enough) than relative changes (i.e., processing). When you’re euphoric, there is a big change happening. This change takes energy to make happen. Spending energy is one of the ways you die. So you can’t just continuously spend that energy forever. Your body prefers going back to some stable baseline it can maintain comfortably (homeostasis).
In addition, the “physical machinery” wears out. You don’t have infinite chemicals. Your neurons can’t keep firing at a high rate forever. They get tired. They produce waste materials that are toxic (like almost all life doee). they need down time to clean up.
In addition to survival needs mentioned elsewhere (you need to feel motivated to do stuff, so you can’t just be satisfied all the time), we have to make do with limited resources.
Latest Answers