Dopamine, like all neurochemicals, is involved in many processes throughout the brain and body. It is most notoriously implicated in drug addiction, which led people to believe that dopamine was a pleasure chemical. But in fact, scientists see the biggest dopamine surge in anticipation of a reward, not in response to one. Researchers now believe that dopamine is a salient signal telling the brain what to pay attention to. This fits with one of the neurochemical’s other important roles: facilitating learning. Dopamine teaches the brain to repeat a behavior or experience that was pleasurable or beneficial, but it doesn’t contribute to the feeling of pleasure itself.