Our perception of happiness depends on many factors, none of which are more important than our hormones.
Hormones are powerful chemicals secreted by the organism and are essential to our correct development.
They acts as communicators between specific organs or tissues and the glands that secrete them, and play a fundamental role in regulating our physiological activities as well as in maintaining homeostasis (the balance of all the systems in the body to function properly).
We could not live without hormones, and our overall well-being depends in good measure of their correct balance.
When hormones are unbalanced, the entire organism is affected.
There are more than 50 different hormones in our body, controlling from sleep and growth to digestion and mood, but only four of them are directly linked to our happiness.
These are: serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are three hormones that are linked to stress: epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol.
But what’s the function of each, and can we boost our happy hormones to our benefit? Read on!
Interestingly, although linked to stress, Cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine can be either beneficial or detrimental to our bodies, depending on the magnitude of their release and the length of time they circulate in our bloodstream.
Cortisol
Produced by the adrenal glands, cortisol helps to temporarily reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, regulate our metabolism, control the salt and water balance (thus playing a role in blood pressure), and assist in memory consolidation.
Activated by high-intensity exercise (among other activities), cortisol is also essential to short-term healing.
Epinephrine
Also called the “fight, flight or freeze” hormone, it’s commonly released in the main sympathetic nervous system as a response to real or perceived threats.
Epinephrine provides a sudden influx of energy to our muscles -in case we have to fight or flee-, and increases our heart rate and blood pressure.
This is the hormone that helps us perform amazing feats of strength or speed in ‘miracle rescues’, and it activates the same way whether the ‘threat’ is real or not (for example, when we play a violent video game or confront a real threat).
Interestingly, nicotine can trigger a release of epinephrine, raising blood pressure and inhibiting lung function, forcing your heart to work harder.
Thus, going for a smoke when you’re under stress will actually aggravate the problem.
Norepinephrine
Produced by the adrenal glands, norepinephrine also plays an important role in the ‘fight-or-flee’ response.
In addition, this hormone boosts our alertness, attention, and arousal, affects our sleep cycle, our mood, and even our memory.
The release of norepinephrine during moderate exercise breaks down fat within the adipose tissue, thus helping us get slimmer.
Excess of work and screen time increase all our stress hormones
However, for all their important roles in our health, an excessive production of these hormones during a long period of time may cause severe problems such as heart disease, insulin resistance, digestive problems, depression, and accelerated aging, among others.
It’s important to understand that not all stress is ‘bad’ - we need a certain level of stress to function, or else we would live in constant lethargy.
Stress in small doses (such as lifting weights, running a marathon, or facing challenges) help us grow stronger, provided we can handle it and use it to our benefit.
The problem comes with elevated and sustained levels of ‘negative stress’(resulting from distressful situations, arguments, excess of work, actual threats to our physical or mental health, etc.), and an inability to handle the resulting emotions.
Stress can be debilitating. Therefore, it’s important to listen to your body and know when the levels of stress are accumulating and affecting your health.
But what about the ‘happy hormones’?
Serotonin
Called the natural mood-booster, serotonin is the hormone and neurotransmitter that regulates your mood.
Produced in an area at the center of the brainstem, serotonin also has an important role in regulating sleep, stress response, appetite, addiction, digestion, breathing, learning ability, and memory, among other functions and behaviors.
Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression, and high levels of this hormone are linked to euphoria.
What decreases serotonin?
-Excess of negative stress (ill news, problems, noise, etc.)
-Excess of screen exposure.
-Lack of sun exposure (spending all time indoors).
Dancing is a great boost for all your happy hormones!
How to boost serotonin?
You can increase your serotonin levels naturally by:
-Getting a healthy dose of sunshine. Particularly during the winter season, in order to avoid the SAD (seasonal affective disorder) syndrome.
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Practicing mindfulness and meditation.
Research suggests that behavioral techniques that combine hormesis (forced breathing, cold exposure) and meditation may help control mood disorders.
-Taking a stroll in the park. Contact with nature increases serotonin, especially if you stroll on a sunny day. If you add exercise and friends (or even your pet!), into the stroll, you’ll also get a boost of endorphins and oxytocin.
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Exercise. If you’re not the gym-type, opt for a dance session instead. In fact,
dancing is the most complete activity to boost all of your happiness hormones, all at once!
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Indulge your sense of smell. Whether our favorite perfume or the smell of fresh homemade cookies, scents can trigger positive emotions and give you a boost of serotonin. Our sense of smell is tightly connected to the area of our brain that regulates pleasure and memories. In fact,
studies have found that aromatherapy can positively influence serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain and works better than other therapies because scents can bypass the blood-brain barrier to act on the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and limbic system.
-Rest and sleep well. We all know that grumpy feeling we after a bad night. Lack of rest causes a general imbalance in our organism, so getting enough rest and a good night’s sleep is essential to our health and our hormonal balance.
-Eat happy. Tryptophan is the amino acid that your body uses to make serotonin. A well-balanced diet of complex carbs (rice, whole grains, legumes, vegetables, etc.) and rich in protein will help your metabolism to better produce and absorb tryptophan. In addition, foods rich in Omega-3 have been linked to a boost in serotonin production.
Foods rich in Omega-3 have been linked to a boost in serotonin
Dopamine
Called ‘the feel-good’ hormone, dopamine is a neurotransmitter and it’s associated with pleasurable sensations such as bliss and exhilaration.
Dopamine is also the hormone that helps us stay focused, motivated, and on track to attain our goals. When we’re low in dopamine, we may experience procrastination and self-doubt.
In addition, dopamine plays a crucial role in regulating mood, movement, attention and learning, heart rate, pain processing, and sleep, among other functions.
Notably, dopamine is acts over the brain’s reward system and is tightly linked to reinforcement of actions. And while this hormone can help in the formation of habits, it is also linked to addiction.
What decreases dopamine?
-Bad sleep
-Excess of negative stress.
-Excess of screen and social media exposure
Keeping a positive attitude boosts your dopamine naturally
How to boost dopamine?
You can increase your dopamine levels naturally by:
-Completing a task or achieving a goal. That feeling of satisfaction when you tick off the last item on your ‘to-do’ list? That’s dopamine speaking. It doesn’t have to be a huge achievement - simple tasks (finishing to fold your laundry, sending that long-postponed email, etc.) can also cause a boost of dopamine in your brain
-Grabbing a banana! Research suggests that a diet rich in tyrosine could potentially boost dopamine levels in your brain. Some foods high in this amino acid include dairy, chicken and poultry, avocados, bananas, soy, pumpkin ad sesame seeds.
-Celebrating. Got good news? Give yourself a nice pat on the back! Rewarding yourself for small or big triumphs increases your levels of dopamine in your brain, giving you a nice feeling of self-approval.
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Think happy thoughts! According to
Dr. John Medina, author of the book “Brain Rules for Aging Well”, being optimistic not only reduces stress but it also promotes the production of dopamine in the brain.
-Engaging in creative activities. Contemplating and enjoying something that you created (a painting, a sweater, a cake, a garden, etc.) provides a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that boosts your dopamine.
-Listening to music you enjoy. Particularly music and songs of lively rhythm with an upbeat message, like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, or “Walking On Sunshine”.
-Practicing gratitude. Being mindful of what you have, what you’ve accomplished, and all the good things around you makes you appreciate them more and boosts your dopamine levels in your brain.
Regular exercise can increase all of your happy hormones
Endorphins
Produced by the body in response to situations of pain or discomfort, this group of hormones act as natural pain and stress relievers.
There are around 20 different types of endorphins, but one of the most studied is beta-endorphin, which is released during strenuous exercise.
Endorphins can produce a feeling of euphoria, and in fact their name comes from the term “endogenous morphine” -in reference to the opioid painkiller-, but without the risk of overdose or addiction.
What decreases endorphins?
Both genetic and non-genetic factors may impact the production of endorphins in the body. Some of the latter are:
-Substance abuse
-Sleep deprivation
-Using medications that block natural endorphins.
-Suffering from chronic pain or fibromyalgia
How to boost endorphins?
You can increase your endorphin levels naturally by:
-Exercising
-Meditating
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Playing music. Performing music with others -such as in a choir or concert- has been
shown to increase endorphin levels in the brain.
-Laughing. Hearty, belly laughs triggers the production of endorphins in the body, and it’s one of the reasons why laughter is included as part of some medical therapies in hospitals. Moreover, laughing also triggers serotonin and dopamine. Laughter is indeed the best medicine!
-Eating spicy food. Your brain interprets the heat as stimuli and releases endorphins to counterattack - which explains the popularity of spicy foods all over the world.
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Eating dark chocolate. Several
studies have determined that the phenethylamine in chocolate encourages neurotransmitter activity and stimulates the production of endorphins in our brain. Just two squares are enough for your brain to react, so don’t go overboard!
Hugging -a friend, your pet, or even a plush toy- can boost your oxytocin
Oxytocin
Also called “the love hormone”, it carries out functions related to romance, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation. However, being a hormone tightly related to physical contact and social bonding, there many other activities that stimulate its production in our brain.
While its main function seems to be helping us to establish emotional bonds with our loved ones, studies also suggest that oxytocin helps decrease stress and anxiety levels, and causes a positive impact on social behaviors, particularly those requiring trust and psychological stability (which explains why shaking hands and making direct eye contact when meeting someone is essential to establishing a mood of trust.)
What’s interesting about oxytocin is that this hormone motivates us into actions that stimulate even more of its production (called ‘positive loop’). For instance, when your brain produces oxytocin, you may want to hug your partner, which in return increases its production.
What decreases oxytocin?
Lack of direct social contact. This is a bane in our modern world, where screens and machines have replaced actual meetings and interaction with real people.
The truth is, physical contact is
indispensable for our correct development and mental balance.
Solitude and lack of social contact can severely decrease your oxytocin levels
How to boost oxytocin?
You can increase your oxytocin levels naturally by:
-Exercising. Regular exercise stimulates the production of all the ‘happy hormones’ in your body. If you exercise with someone you love (a friend, a partner, or even your dog!), both of you will get a boost.
-Socializing. Meet up with your friends, neighbors, or colleagues for a moment of relaxation and bonding. If in addition you engage in a physical activity (dancing, building something, etc.) you’ll trigger your oxytocin production.
-Cuddling a pet. Long considered a de-stressor, cuddling your furry friend (or lizard, or iguana) will boost your oxytocin levels. The nice thing is that both you and your pet will get a boost of oxytocin. Studies suggest that even watching pictures of pets we love kick off this hormone in our brain. Children can also boost their oxytocin by cuddling a plush toy they like.
-Getting a massage - or give one! Both activities will boost your oxytocin.
-Giving hugs and kisses to your loved ones.
-Being kind to others. Have you ever felt that rush of joy after helping someone in need? That’s your oxytocin speaking! It can be something as small as giving directions to someone who’s lost, but studies have confirmed that being kind to others is a key to our own joy.
Engaging in random acts of kindness can also boost the production of dopamine and serotonin in our brains. The results of these
studies have been so effective, that they’re being incorporated into some types of psychotherapy.
Being kind to others is key to our own happiness
Practicing regularly these suggestions will keep your ‘happy hormones’ at optimal levels, remembering that no one can possibly be permanently happy.
Being happy depends on ourselves and our choices. However, some people may have conditions that hinder their bodies to create enough of these hormones.
Although hormone supplements can be found on the market, these should only be taken under medical supervision, as they may cause adverse reactions.
If you have a chronic or clinical hormonal imbalance, seek professional medical attention.
To Learn More...
*Taking a stroll in nature can increase your serotonin levels...and much more! To learn more about the myriad benefits of nature on our overall well-being, read this comprehensive article by National Geographic:
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia, Cedars-Sinai.org, Forbes, Healthline, Harvard health, FrontiersinScience.org, Slidell Memorial Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, VeryWellHealth.com.
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