Helisoma Blog

Mind & mood

Dopamine, memory, mood, and habits: the psychology written into common variants, at honest effect sizes.

AllGuidesNutrition & tasteFitness & sleepMind & moodAI & privacyTraits & quirksHow genetics works
Mind & mood

Dopamine is not the pleasure chemical

Two experiments separated wanting from liking and showed the brain pays out on surprise, not on reward. It explains the scroll you do not even enjoy, and why the dopamine detox has it backwards.

August 28, 2026 · 4 min read
Mind & mood

Warrior or worrier? What the COMT label really stands for

One variant, two nicknames, and a genuinely interesting trade-off between staying calm under pressure and thinking clearly at rest. Plus the honest evidence level.

July 25, 2026 · 2 min read
Mind & mood

BDNF, KIBRA, and the genetics of remembering things

Two memory-linked variants, two very different evidence stories. What your genes say about learning, and why exercise outranks both.

July 13, 2026 · 2 min read
Mind & mood

Why quitting nicotine is a different fight for different people

The enzyme that clears nicotine runs at different speeds in different people, and that speed shapes craving rhythm, smoking patterns, and quitting strategy.

July 10, 2026 · 2 min read
Mind & mood

Is happiness genetic? What 300,000 genomes actually said

Big studies did find variants associated with wellbeing and steadiness of mood. The effects are tiny, the lesson is useful, and the levers remain yours.

July 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Helisoma Report 23andMe · AncestryDNA · MyHeritage · Nebula

Curious what your DNA says?

Your browser reads your raw DNA file right on your device, so the file itself never leaves it. Out comes a personalized report you can read yourself or hand to your AI.

SleepCaffeineNutritionTraining
Get your report →
$49 once, no subscription
free analysis first