It's dopamine (see also: caffeine) for me.
I don't recognize the approval mechanism myself.
For me it is that small hit when I think of/experience something new.
@avuko so your curiosity is rewarded
I understood caffeine was more a plant defence mechanism to kill off insects. A substance we have modeled in drinks to benefit us by prohibiting the feeling of tiredness. I need to look up the mechanisms...
These options are not all biochemical, and not all related to self-awareness or psychology. They are for sure not mutually exclusive. Which makes the poll flawed and fun
@Kristine Welcome to the wonderful world of methylxanthines!
I recently went pretty far down this rabbit hole (dopamine driven research into dopamine 
) wondering what the felt difference between tea and coffee was.
Caffeine is indeed a natural insecticide. Maybe caffeine messes with their nervous system as well?
What I found is that caffeine is the same substance in coffee and tea, but tea also has other methylxanthines (theobromine which is also in cacao, and theophylline) with different effects. Tea also has other chemicals which influence the caffeine uptake.
Anyway, have fun, there's much to explore there!
End of #InfoDump 
@Kristine aren't caffeine and anxiety the same thing? 😅
(He types as he anxiously sips his essential morning coffee.)
@Kristine @yvan not sure if I understand. Are you saying that if coffee makes me anxious, I should have coffee AND add chocolate? Would that let me be more productive and less anxious after my second cup of coffee?
Asking because I used to drink lots of coffee, but at some point I had to limit my intake. It started making me more anxious than productive.
As usual there should be a multiple selection option for the poll that includes not making a selection.
(Did you miss me putting in the #Contrarian hashtag? 😇)
@Kristine
I never drank coffee until a few years ago when I discovered it helped metabolise pain killers and thus joined ranks in the battle against migraines.
My normal fuel is carbs. Toast, pasta, sandwiches, poptarts, croissants, bring it on. I suppose that becomes glucose which in turn triggers dopamine so that's how I voted.
On the spite front, I knew a guy who kept a "told you so" folder from when he warned management not to take a given course of action, so he could remind them later.
@Kristine Caffeine, but with a side order of commitment.
i.e. If I've (foolishly) said I will do a thing, I try hard to do it.
(I game myself by committing to give talks about things I haven't got around to doing yet, then as the deadline looms I'm committed to actually understanding the thing well enough to at least talk about it - which for me generally involves doing it!)
@Kristine I don't even know myself lol, anxiety is what prevents me from having the energy to do work, but it's not like I'm a dopamine addict either, I don't take caffeine, and I don't do things out of spite (much more likely to not do things out of spite).
I also feel like I have a constant lack of energy so maybe my answer is just none of the above?
I spent way too long thinking about this lol
@Kristine well I have been thinking about my lack of energy in general for a while now, this poll just happened to come up in my feed and my thinking resumed (to no conclusion still).
But thanks and you're welcome haha
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