Emotions and Narration: The Neurochemistry of the Adolescent Brain

This paper focuses on the relationship between youth fiction , emotions and the dopaminergic system. Recent studies in the neurophysiological and neurocognitive fields on emotional and cognitive development, and on the neurochemistry of the brain during adolescence, have highlighted how dopamine—the neurotransmitter of the search for gratification—plays a fundamental role at the affective, decisional and behavioral levels. At the same time, it has been highlighted that narratives have effects on our emotional system and, consequently, influence our physiological and brain chemistry levels. Starting from the aforementioned findings and analyzing J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye as a case study, one could hypothesize that, on the one hand, at a thematic level many works of youth literature skillfully mirror the dopaminergic carousel that characterizes youth; on the other hand, the aforementioned themes are so widespread and appreciated by young audiences precisely because of their “immersive” effect at an emotional, cognitive and neurochemical level.