EEG ERP Emotions and Neurochemistry - Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Cortisol - Lat Brain Bee Sfn 2025

Consciousness in First Person

I am Consciousness as both chemical and electrical. Every emotion I feel is not just a bioelectrical discharge: it is also a molecule crossing synapses, a hormone bathing the body, a modulator coloring my inner state. When I laugh, when I fear, when I belong, when I suffer — I am the outcome of currents and substances. I am not only a spark; I am also the chemical breath sustaining the fire.

1. Emotions as Bioelectrical and Biochemical Bridges

• Emotions emerge from rapid discharges (ERPs, under 900 ms), but gain depth through neurochemistry.
  
  

• Neurotransmitters and hormones sustain emotional states, shaping their intensity, duration, and associated memory.
  
  

• The brain is at once an electrical conductor (EEG) and a chemical soup (neurotransmitters and modulators).
  
  

2. Dopamine – Expectation and Reward

• Function: signals anticipation of pleasure and reinforcement learning.
  
  

• Dynamics: released in variable bursts, linked to the oddball effect (P300).
  
  

• Practical Example: each unpredictable notification on social media or loot box in games triggers dopamine.
  
  

• Risk: intermittent reinforcement → behavioral addiction.
  
  

3. Serotonin – Stability and Mood

• Function: regulates well-being, mood stability, and emotional balance.
  
  

• Dynamics: modulates EEG-DC oscillations, especially in contemplative states (Paper, Zone 2).
  
  

• Practical Example: sustained breathing practices or moments of fruition increase serotonin.
  
  

• Risk: chronic depletion → vulnerability to depression and fixation in Rock (automatic reactivity).
  
  

4. Oxytocin – Bonding and Belonging

• Function: promotes trust, empathy, and social connection.
  
  

• Dynamics: works in synchrony with social brain networks, reinforcing Paper states (integration and contemplation of relationships).
  
  

• Practical Example: positive interactions in online groups or gaming guilds boost oxytocin.
  
  

• Risk: bonding can be hijacked by toxic communities, crystallizing hostile narratives.
  
  

5. Cortisol – Stress and Vigilance

• Function: prepares the body for fight, flight, or freezing.
  
  

• Dynamics: heightens somatosensory and subcortical responses, fueling Rock states.
  
  

• Practical Example: breaking news or sudden in-game battles elevate cortisol.
  
  

• Risk: chronic stress → inhibition of Paper and Scissors, locking the brain in rigid reactivity.
  
  

6. Dynamic Interactions

• Dopamine and cortisol often reinforce each other in short cycles (pleasure + vigilance).
  
  

• Serotonin and oxytocin sustain long-term integration but are fragile under excessive high-arousal stimuli.
  
  

• Thus, the brain oscillates between biochemical states of contemplation, exploration, or reactivity.
  
  

7. Transversal Frame – The 72h Loop (Applied to Neurochemistry)

Critical Summary: neurochemistry shows how emotions can be extended for hours, conditioning the brain to seek the cycle of stimuli again.

8. Critical Conclusion

Bioelectrical emotions become biochemical feelings, which sustain narratives.

• Dopamine maintains the cycle of search and reward.
  
  

• Serotonin stabilizes mood against extremes.
  
  

• Oxytocin builds belonging but can be hijacked.
  
  

• Cortisol enforces vigilance but, when chronic, drives rigidity and aversion.
  
  

Games and social media orchestrate these molecules like invisible conductors of decision-making.
The danger is living chemically trapped in Rock (cortisol-driven reactivity), Scissors (dopamine-fueled analysis), or manipulated Paper (oxytocin-driven belonging) — while true flexibility requires balance across all.

Recognizing neurochemistry means recognizing that our choices are not purely rational: they are also sculpted by molecules shaping the electrical field of consciousness.

References

• Robbins, T. W., & Everitt, B. J. (2020). Dopamine and the neurobiology of reward and addiction. Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
  
  

• Crockett, M. J., et al. (2021). Serotonin and social decision-making. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
  
  

• Feldman, R. (2021). Oxytocin and the neurobiology of attachment. Annual Review of Neuroscience.
  
  

• Liston, C., et al. (2022). Cortisol and stress regulation of cognition and emotion. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
  
  

• McEwen, B. S., & Gianaros, P. J. (2023). Stress neurobiology in the context of modern digital life. Biological Psychiatry.