Hi, 

Of course, dopamine can be involved in healthy behaviours! Dopamine is known to be the neurotransmitter of reward/motivation/pleasure, and these feelings can be associated with healthy behaviors (while this term does worth a clearer definition in my mind). For instance, "dopamine reward" is involved in maternal care/maternal attachment (see Strathearn_2011). Also, it has been suggested that dopaminergic system in involved in social play behavior (Trezza et al_2010). I guess that's what you could call "healthy behaviours".

Sincerely

Cecile

Many thanks Cecile, that's very helpful indeed!

Thank you very much for this question.

Considering that spontaneous physiological activities cannot be described as healthy or not (given you define what this term means), I might first say that it is not a scientific question.

Perhaps considering G. Canguilhem's major contribution to understand health (Le Normal et le pathologique Georges Canguilhem, a medical doctor and philosopher) could help you in this question. Together with thinking homeostasis as a dynamic process (certainly you do, but it is fascinating to realize how much we automatically develop a static way in considering physiology when we are not extremely cautious).

Nevertheless, in a second step, your question appears as an extremely timely scientific one, as it reveals how much an excessive reliance on familiar terms (such as health) can be misleading. Especially when using english as a first or second language, the risk is that easily translated words such as health do not need definition or discussion. Perhaps physiology does not need to rely on sophisticated language rules, but scientific communication and exchange does... And believe me, it is also scientifically exciting to wonder about normal and pathologic, and there are no other way to do it than carefully selecting terms. A reason why the english lingua franca is such a "faux-ami".

It would be interesting 

Many thanks for your effort in providing your feedback and thoughts.

Based on my background in health psychology I might be a bit biased in what is healthy or unhealthy behaviour. I would say that what is healthy or not is universally accepted mainly based on its outcomes for the individual. This is why I provided the example of smoking (which is unhealthy) and the role of nicotine in dopamine release. Although, dopamine activation (as a result of nicotine's effect) is spontaneous as you say, what causes it (i.e., smoking) is absolutely conscious and controllable.

I think that the different perspectives that someone might have,  as well as different disciplines and one's own experiences may lead to various interpretations of such issues. Scientific or not, 'health', 'healthy-unhealthy' etc. are concepts' whose meaning and implications are widely accepted and not 'false-friends'.

Not a French speaker, though, so I'm not sure what is the case in this language.

Interesting indeed.

Am I mistaken in thinking that sex causes releases DA at the NA? On the other hand, with over 6 billion and counting, we could perhaps say that sex is not healthy for the species.