Article
Here's How to Naturally Boost Your Happy Hormones Today
CNET
- Almost everything that makes you feel “happy” is linked to one of the four happiness hormones: dopamine, serotonin, endorphin and oxytocin
- The hormone dopamine is associated with motivation and reward. It’s why you feel gumption when you set an exciting or important goal, and why it feels good to reach that goal. On the flip side, if you have low dopamine (which experts say can occur with depression), it can explain feelings of low motivation or loss of interest in something you used to enjoy
- The expectation of a reward triggers a good feeling in the mammal brain, and releases the energy you need to reach the reward
- Embrace a new goal and take small steps toward it every day. Your brain will reward you with dopamine each time you take a step. The repetition will build a new dopamine pathway until it’s big enough to compete with the dopamine habit that you’re better off without,” Breuning says
- Set a short-run, long-run, and middle-term goal so you will always be approaching one when another is blocked. Focus on things you have control over and don’t wait for others to set your goals for you,” Breuning says.
- Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in mood, but it also helps regulate other functions in your body like digestion, sleep and bone health. When it comes to happiness and how you feel every day, serotonin is important for reducing depression and regulating anxiety.
- Confidence triggers serotonin. Monkeys try to one-up each other because it stimulates their serotonin. People often do the same,” Breuning says. You’ve probably never thought about confidence on a neurochemical level, but according to Breuning, if you don’t prioritize confidence, your serotonin levels could take a hit.
- you can also build confidence in other ways. One way to do this is by working out or adopting a new exercise routine, which helps bolster your confidence when you stick to it over time
- Oxytocin is sometimes called the “love” hormone and is associated with how people bond and trust each other. Certain activities like kissing, hugging and having sex can trigger the release of oxytocin in the brain. It explains why you feel happy when you pet or cuddle with your pets
- You can boost oxytocin by being physically intimate with others. Besides the physical aspect, it’s important to know that there’s an emotional connection to how oxytocin is released
- Endorphins are notoriously linked with exercise: It’s the phenomenon that explains the runner’s high or post-workout endorphin “rush.” They function as “natural painkillers” that help minimize pain and maximize pleasure. This chemical experience can explain why a runner may be able to push through a race with an injury that they don’t notice until it’s over. “In the state of nature, it helps an injured animal escape from a predator. It helped our ancestors run for help when injured. Endorphins evolved for survival, not for partying. If you were high on endorphins all the time, you would touch hot stoves and walk on broken legs,” Breuning explains.
- Laughter is one great way to naturally produce more endorphins.
- Laughter is one way to boost endorphins naturally; so is eating dark chocolate, watching your favorite drama on Netflix, working out and meditating.
- Endorphins are released in response to pain, but that doesn’t mean you should seek out ways to cause yourself harm (like by overexercising or pushing yourself beyond your limits) just to feel good. “Inflicting harm on yourself to stimulate endorphins is a bad survival strategy. Fortunately, there are better ways: laughing and stretching. Both of these jiggle your innards in irregular ways, causing moderate wear and tear and moderate endorphin flow,” she says.