Neuroscience of Success: 3 Chemical Responses to Understand

What chemicals in your brain are connected to your success? How can understanding these chemicals help you make better decisions on your path to achievement?

The neuroscience of success reveals how specific brain chemicals and hormones influence your ability to achieve goals and maintain momentum. Neuropsychologist Ian Robertson examines how three of them work together to either propel you forward or hold you back when facing challenges.

Keep reading to discover how these powerful chemicals affect your decision-making, social relationships, and long-term performance.

The Neuroscience of Success

Robertson explains the neuroscience of success, writing that your biology influences your ability to achieve, maintain, and build upon your accomplishments. Specifically, he identifies the neurochemicals and hormones your body releases when you anticipate or experience success. According to Robertson, three chemicals influence these responses: dopamine, testosterone, and cortisol. Let’s take a look at each.

Chemical 1: Dopamine

Robertson explains that, each time you experience success, your brain releases dopamine, a pleasurable neurochemical designed to reward and reinforce success-generating behaviors. In other words, each time you perform an action that leads to  success, you feel a surge of pleasure that makes you want to repeat that action, potentially leading to further achievements. For example, when a business executive closes a deal, they experience a dopamine rush that motivates them to pursue more negotiations. 

(Shortform note: Experts add that in addition to creating pleasurable feelings, dopamine encourages success-generating behaviors by improving your memory. When you successfully complete a task or goal, you first feel happy, then the dopamine helps your brain store the memory of that happiness. This memory motivates you to try again and reminds you how to succeed the next time you attempt that task. Dopamine-enhanced memory is a good thing, in that it helps you learn and succeed more easily in the future, but it can also have a negative influence, as it can form bad habits by motivating you to repeat pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors.)

Dopamine Dependency Impairs Judgment 

However, Robertson adds that, just as with addictive substances or behaviors, your brain can become dependent on the dopamine high that comes with success. This dependency can lead you to make poor decisions in pursuit of that feeling, potentially jeopardizing your long-term success. For example, the business executive might neglect essential operational issues to focus solely on closing deals, compromising the company’s overall health.

(Shortform note: Research clarifies why dopamine dependency occurs and how it can lead to poor decisions: Repeated exposure to pleasure trains your brain to develop a tolerance to dopamine. This means that over time, you need increasingly larger doses of dopamine to feel the same level of pleasure. However, the more you trigger dopamine production, the less effective it becomes and the more you have to escalate your dopamine-seeking behavior to achieve the same high. Fortunately, you may be able to reset your dopamine tolerance through dopamine fasting: If you don’t trigger dopamine production for a while, your brain will be much more sensitive to it when you do experience it next.)

Chemical 2: Testosterone

When you experience success, your body increases your testosterone levels. Robertson explains that this hormone creates both immediate and long-term effects: It boosts your confidence and willingness to take risks in the short term and, with repeated successes over time, it accumulates in your bloodstream to reinforce these traits. This increases your desire to face obstacles and pursue increasingly challenging opportunities. For example, increased testosterone levels might drive the business executive to expand into new markets that they previously considered too challenging.

High Testosterone Alienates Others

While increased testosterone can boost both short-term and long-term confidence, Robertson warns that excessively high levels can result in increased aggression, impulsivity, and reduced empathy. These behaviors can alienate others, lead to poor strategic choices, and ultimately undermine the very success that led to the testosterone increase in the first place. For example, the business executive might ignore advice and dismiss a lucrative partnership opportunity because they’re overly confident in their ability to succeed alone.

Chemical 3: Cortisol

While dopamine and testosterone are directly linked to experiencing success, cortisol plays a different role—increasing the likelihood of that experience happening in the first place. Robertson explains that your body releases cortisol, a stress hormone that prepares your body to take flight or fight, whenever you feel anxious or challenged. In moderate amounts, cortisol contributes to success by helping you stay alert and focused in challenging situations. For example, a small jolt of cortisol might help the business executive recall crucial details during an important negotiation.

Chronic Cortisol Impairs Health and Performance 

However, while cortisol can help you succeed, it can backfire when you feel ongoing pressure to maintain your level of success. Robertson explains that this pressure can lead to chronically high levels of cortisol that disrupt almost all your body’s processes, resulting in impaired cognitive function, a weakened immune system, and an increased risk of mental health issues. For example, if the business executive feels perpetually stressed about maintaining their performance, they might feel too drained to focus during the negotiation.