What are happiness chemicals? Well I'm glad you asked.
Happiness chemicals are a natural hormone that your body produces. When your body produces any one of these, you feel good essentially. It's that simple.
I first heard of 'happy chemicals' whilst at university and I've been interested since. At a time when you hear mostly bad news and negative conversations. It's now more than ever, it's important to take time to check in with ourselves and tune into our thoughts and feelings. I've done some research and thought it would be a good time to share it with you all. So, let's get started before my own happy chemicals wear off.
There are four 'brain chemicals' that have been associated with happy chemicals. These have been shown to improve your how you're feeling and boost your mood. These four chemicals are; serotonin, endorphins, dopamine and oxycontin. Each work in different ways and each of these can be brought on by different actions.
Serotonin
Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilises our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness or is also known as - the mood stabiliser. It is thought to regulate mood, happiness, and anxiety. Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression, while increased levels of the hormone may decrease arousal.
Serotonin is often called the body's natural "feel-good" chemical (yay), giving you an overall sense of well-being and who doesn't want that, let's be honest. This chemical is used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. The serotonin's effects in the brain could be considered as the 'starring role' in the body. It's influence on the mood makes it one of several brain chemicals that are essential to your overall sense of happiness and welfare. It enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other. So basically is one of the reason you're happy. Simple.
Serotonin is responsible for stimulating the parts of the brain that control sleep and waking. It is believed that is has influences over when, how much and how well you sleep. Although it is key to remember that it is not the only chemical that influences our sleeping patterns and levels of sleep.
So basically, when your serotonin levels are at a normal level, you should feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier, all round calmer and a more happy camper.
Natural serotonin boosters -
- Get more natural sunlight - sun rays help (sunlight improves your mood)
- Brisk walking
- Swimming
- Massage
- Running
- Deep breathing (helps if you have anxiety or panic disorders)
- Eat (specifically food that contain amino acid - salmon, eggs, spinach, seeds)
Endorphins
Endorphins, which are structurally similar to the drug morphine, they are considered natural painkillers because they activate opioid receptors in the brain that help minimise discomfort. They can also help bring about feelings of general well-being, as they can feel like a "high" or even just a nice relaxing feeling. It is also argued that the joyful feeling you get from a deep belly laugh is caused by endorphins, bet you didn't know that eh.
Endorphins are chemicals produced by the body to relieve stress and pain. They help to push our bodies beyond there comfort levels and persist when they might otherwise give up. If a person has ever been through pregnancy labour, you might have experience with endorphins kicking in and giving you a helping hand. There are many things that can strain our bodies, pain is one of them. In response to this stress, a body will relieve itself by producing endorphins (pain-killing chemicals). There are several theories about why our bodies release endorphins. The most common one is that pain relief helps us survive. So when people say your survival instincts kick in, endorphins play a part in that.
Endorphins are the reason exercise if often suggested to help if you're feeling stressed. They are the reason why starting a gym routine can help you relax after a long day at work.
Naturally endorphins boosters -
- Vanilla or lavender scents
- Laughter (Some have even suggested forced laughing is proven to boost endorphins)
- Have a dance (I often like to say dance it out)
- Meditating
- Exercising
- Eating dark chocolate
- Eating spicy food
- Yoga
- Taking a freezing cold shower in the morning.
- Sex
- Create music or art/be creative
- Get a massage
- Drink wine
Dopamine
Dopamine is the motivation/reward chemical. This chemical creates happiness after a person has accomplished a goal. Those little feelings of victory when you complete a task or reach a goal you've set for yourself.
It is a chemical found naturally in the human body and it sends signals from the body to the brain. Dopamine plays a part in controlling the movements a person makes, as well as their emotional responses. The right balance of dopamine is vital for both physical and mental well being. It plays a big part in how we feel pleasure and it helps us strive, focus, and find things interesting. It’s ideal for learning, planning, and productivity. These reasons are why dopamine is meant to motivate your body towards a distant goal, one step at a time. It is what helps you get through your to-do list or motivate you to start a new habit.
We need dopamine as it contributes to feeling of alertness, focus and motivation. It helps us to kick start tasks we've been putting off and gives us a boost when we accomplish a task. You can thank dopamine for your work ethic and for when you're striving to be your best.
It's also important to remember that dopamine is the reason why you can get addicted to things. This is how you get addicted to social media, as you are in a way getting a 'hit' from being on it for long periods of time and getting too much of it. You may think that social media is making you happy, when you're might be suffering from this exact reason. It is important to take all aspects into consideration and enjoy everything in moderation. But I'm no professional and urge you to seek medical advice if you have any concerns.
Natural dopamine boosters -
- To do lists
- Finishing a task
- Gratitude
- Exercise
- Human contact (I know this is difficult during a pandemic but it's always good to know)
- Cold shower
- Listen to music
- Have a dance (DANCE IT OUT)
- Sleep
Oxycontin
Oxycontin is the love/contentment hormone. It helps to play a role in social bonding, connecting with loved ones and building relationships.
It has positive affects on some aspects of the human behaviour. It also has possible relationship-enhancing effects. Some of these include; trust, gazing, relaxation, empathy, positive relationship memories and positive communication. These cause you to feel a surge of positive emotion. The hormone has also been shown to decrease stress and anxiety levels when released into certain parts of the brain. Oxycontin is the reason for the 'honeymoon phase' is new relationships and why you get butterflies when you have a crush on another person.
We need oxycontin to help us build strong trustworthy relationships in our lives, with family members, friends and loved ones. This helps us to gain happiness in our lives and adds to our overall well beings and feelings of being needed and desired.
Natural oxycontin boosters -
- Help someone
- Healthy relationships (Always a good idea to cut toxic people out of your lives)
- Hug someone (Again I know this is difficult during a pandemic but it's always good to know)
- Holding hands
- Tell someone how much you care
- Meditate
- Speak to someone you care about
- Make conversations count (Active listening)
- Cook and eat with someone you care about (Video chats count)
Each of these chemicals can play a huge part in how our bodies function; physically, mentally, and emotionally. I share these to help you in understanding how the human body works and how we can help to improve our quality of life. I have only touched the surface with this topic and I am excited to speak more on it at a later date. Although, I do encourage you to learn more on your own but please remember to do so in a safe manner. By understanding the role these hormones have, you can better understand how they are affecting you in everyday situations. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to take control of those effects and enjoy life in a healthier and happier way.
It is ALWAYS important to try visit or speak to your doctor if you feel you need medial help with any mental health issue and please speak to a professional before you take ANY medication relating to these natural chemicals.
As for me, I can't wait to feel the effects of all of these happy chemicals when I press publish on this post!
So if any of this interests you or you’re just curious to see what I rant about next, please stay tuned and follow The Lifestyle Change on social media to keep up to date with new posts!
Until next time, sending positive energy to you all,
Jade
DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified expert, I am not a professional and I am not medically trained. This series mainly serves to share all the information I have learned from credible sources. If you are in anyway affected by this subject or this post, please seek professional help, 'The Lifestyle Change' is no way affiliated with the links below.
Helpline's and website's to visit for advise and support. The following charities are here to help you.
NHS - Hours: Available 24 hours/7 days a week
Phone: 111
Samaritans - Hours: Available 24 hours.
Phone: 116 123
NHS Mental Health and Wellbeing - Website for help and support
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Phone: 0800 953 0110
SHOUT - Hours: Free 24 hours confidential text service.
Text: 85258
Anxiety UK - Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:30am - 5:30pm (Charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition).
Phone: 03444 775 774
Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk
No Panic - Hours: 7 days a week. 10am - 10pm (Voluntary charity offering support for sufferers of panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)).
Phone: 0300 772 9844 - Calls cost 5p per minute plus your phone provider's Access Charge
Website: www.nopanic.org.uk
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