3 ms·

I agree; this article is a little misleading. Any substance that rapidly releases serotonin will definitely make you feel happy, if you're not already tolerant.

• tachyonbeam 11y ago
  It is tied to mood, the reason it's more complicated though is that there are many clusters of neuron in the brain which use serotonin to communicate. There are 14 known serotonin receptor subtypes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-HT_receptor#Subtypes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-HT_receptor#Subtypes). Psychedelic drugs (mushrooms, LSD, etc) typically act on 5-HT2a receptors. Serotonin is involved in perceptual filtering, hence why fractal patterns and hallucinations can occur when 5-HT2a is triggered. I would actually say that there's a more obvious link between dopamine and mood than serotonin. Dopamine releasers (amphetamines, meth, ritalin, cocaine) produce an immediate uplifting and confidence-boosting effect. MDMA doesn't just release serotonin, it also releases dopamine. The serotonin release from MDMA is responsible for its powerful anti-anxiety effect. It's believed that the "loved up" feeling from that drug is due to an indirect action of serotonin which eventually produce oxytocin release.