9 Science Facts To Make You Sound Clever At Parties

Okay, this one is a stupidly flippant joke for the biology nerds.

Cram this one into a boring conversation about someone else's interests (yawn) and bring the attention back to yourself, where it belongs.

Our levels of happiness, excitement and contentment are all based on the levels of these two chemicals, serotonin and dopamine, in our bodies.

Dopamine is the main driver behind our feelings of desire, whether that be for sex, drugs or rock 'n' roll, and has a major role in the brain's reward systems, allowing us to feel gratification and enjoyment. It is dopamine that makes us go out there and get what we want and plays a part in making us feel good when we get it.

Serotonin is dopamine's more serious older cousin and is thought to be responsible to balancing our moods. It is like the "well-being" moderator in our brains that makes sure we never fly too high nor sink too low.

People with low levels of serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression and mood swings. Mood enhancing drugs can cause a massive surge of serotonin in the body, creating the high, followed by a dip, creating the comedown.

So the next time you're enjoying yourself, you can thank those plucky little neurotransmitters.