Drivers who like to race have changes in their brains, scientists find

The human fascination with speed goes beyond the stopwatch or the desire to get to a destination quickly. Whether in the pleasure of overtaking on the highway, going down a roller coaster or in extreme sports, the search for speed is a biological experience that activates deep circuits of the nervous system. This is what new scientific studies suggest, which suggest that the brain has a natural inclination to enjoy rapid commuting, functioning as a complex mechanism of internal satisfaction.

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The reward system and the chemical trio of euphoria

The main protagonist of this desire is dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates motivation and the feeling of reward. Studies conducted at Vanderbilt University, in the USA, indicate that individuals with a “risk hunter” profile have fewer dopamine autoreceptors. In practice, this means that the substance circulates with fewer inhibitions in the body, encouraging audacious behaviors to keep satisfaction levels high.

In addition to dopamine, the body triggers a chemical “cocktail” during high speed:

• Adrenaline: raises the heart rate and prepares the body for a state of high alert;
• Endorphins: released to provide physical relief and a sense of deep well-being after the stress of the stimulus.

Scientists in Japan, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), have confirmed that even visual speed stimuli activate the ventral tegmental area. This is the center of mesolimbic pleasure, the same one affected by addictive substances, which explains the euphoria of “wanting more” felt by many drivers.

Biology and individual responsibility

Although neurobiology explains the tendency to pleasure, experts warn that biology influences but does not determine behavior. The act of exceeding speed limits remains a conscious choice. The genetic predisposition to seek strong sensations does not serve as a safe-conduct for reckless behavior. In transit, the rational capacity to make decisions must prevail over the primitive impulses of the pleasure circuit.