The Love Hormone Lied to Us
A nasal spray that makes strangers trust you with their money sounded too good to be true. It was. Oxytocin was crowned the 'love hormone' — then the replication failed, and the molecule turned out to be something stranger: a social amplifier that bonds you to your tribe and pushes everyone else away.
Your Brain Is a Liar (and Your Mouth Is Worse)
In 2008, Frito-Lay tested a Cheetos ad that everyone said they hated. Their EEG brain scans told a completely different story — and the ad became a hit. Welcome to neuromarketing.
Serotonin: The Happy Molecule That Isn't
Serotonin was discovered twice — once in the gut, once in the blood — and we've been getting its story wrong ever since. The 'happiness molecule' has almost nothing to do with happiness.
You Don't Actually Like What You Want
Dopamine is not the pleasure molecule — it's a prediction error signal that makes you want things you don't actually enjoy.