I’ve just started a psychology degree and I’m having trouble understanding neurotransmitters. I understand how neurotransmitters are sent from one neuron to the next and how action potentials are fired but I don’t understand how that actually results in a change of mood/behaviour.
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We know empirically that different neurotransmitters are associated with different emotional states and behaviors. If you don’t believe me, try taking cocaine (dopamine agonist) and seeing if you don’t notice an obvious change in your mood.
As for why this works the way it does? To answer that question you’d need to fundamentally understand how consciousness and subjective experiences arise from physical matter. I don’t think anyone actually knows that – it’s one of the biggest mysteries of the universe.
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