the neural motivation system, and it regulates how sensitive we are
to rewards and punishments. What’s more, it helps us move
toward, or approach, things that are rewarding, and move away,
or withdraw, from things that are not rewarding or are otherwise
unpleasant. Our neural motivation system is divided into two inde-
pendent systems: the green light is the Behavioral Approach
System (BAS) and the red light is the Behavioral Inhibition System
(BIS) – one for approach and one for inhibition.
The BAS is sensitive to reward and is activated when we
sense something that could be rewarding. It controls approach and
approach-type behaviors. Guess which chemicals are released to
make those behaviors rewarding? Yep, the catecholamines, includ-
ing dopamine. You’ll recall that dopamine is a neurotransmitter
associated with pleasure. Your body makes potentially rewarding
activities feel good.
If the BAS is the green light of motivational structures, then
the BIS is the red light. The BIS is sensitive to threat and non-reward.
It is activated during punishment, boring activities, or negative
events and is related to sensitivity to punishment. It ultimately
results in avoiding these kinds of situations (also quite convenient).
The neurotransmitters associated with the BIS include serotonin,
which is associated with anxiety and mood, and norepinephrine,
which is associated with energy. It is also linked with cortisol
release. Are you starting to see a pattern here? These are the same
chemicals we discussed before when talking about the fight or
flight response.
When a situation occurs, your body responds with one of
the two systems. Imagine you are at a restaurant and the server is
describing some of the choices: “delicious shrimp cocktail!” You
hate shrimp and are allergic to them. The Behavioral Inhibition
System kicks in to red-light that option. You might even make
a “yuck” face. “Seventeen-layer chocolate cake,” she continues.
Your favorite! Suddenly your Behavioral Activation System kicks
in, dopamine is active and you are excited to order it.
If this is the case, then there are two other important bio-
chemicals likely involved in this puzzle: the hormone testosterone
and the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). These affect yourreac-
tivityto the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepi-
nephrine in your body.
Produced in both the testes and the ovaries, testosterone is
the hormone responsible for the body hair, deeper voices, and often38 / Buzz!Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Access paid by the UCSF Library, on 11 Nov 2019 at 14:20:40, subject to the Cambridge