Fighting the (Serotonergic) System

Abstract

“The System,” “the Man,” “the Matrix.” Over the years the more creative or disillusioned social fractions have assigned names to a force that governs society at large, structures relationships, and determines the fate of the individual. Some are driven to rebel against ‘it’ during a passing, youthful phase, and maybe others fight ‘it’ their whole lives. Depending on individual context, ‘it’ may assume the face of a political oppressor, a privileged group, a pattern of injustice, or a prevailing mindset.

But as much as we invoke this force creatively or feel the drive to rebel, we still seem unable to put a finger on what exactly ‘it’ is. In each of these cases, what are we actually fighting?

Biologists have long considered the role of neurotransmitters in structuring human society (see, e.g., Watanabe & Yamamoto, 2015), but the topic does not seem to have reached the level of common knowledge or discussion.

Keywords: 5-HTTLPR, Anxiety, Depression, Serotonin, Social Defeat, Stress