Harnessing Your Happiness Hormones
Class is in session, today we are going to dive into happiness hormones. This blog will go over the four main hormones associated with happiness and general wellbeing. I enjoy teaching my own clients about hormones, neurotransmitters, and brain science as it all comes together in the overall picture of my clients’ health. The blog will briefly discuss the basics of each hormone and ways to increase the production of your happiness hormones. To get us started for our science lesson, let's first go over some basics, what are hormones and what are neurotransmitters? The definitions below have been sourced from Webster dictionary.
Hormones: A product of living cells that circulates in body fluids (such as blood) and produces a specific often stimulatory effect on the activity of cells usually remote from its point of origin.
Neurotransmitter: a substance (such as norepinephrine or acetylcholine) that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse.
Dopamine: The Reward Chemical
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and a hormone that is responsible for many bodily functions. As a neurotransmitter, Dopamine helps communicate messages between your brain and your body. Dopamine is responsible for helping with behavior, cognition, learning, movement, motivation and mood.
Dopamine as a hormone plays part in the reward system of our brain. As we are doing something enjoyable dopamine is released and provides pleasure, which then usually reinforces the behavior. Dopamine is the classic “happy” hormone. People may joke about receiving a “dopamine rush” after engaging in pleasurable activities; there is truth to that!
A balanced amount of dopamine may result in feelings of alertness, happiness, and motivation. Low levels of dopamine may result in feeling tired, unhappy and unmotivated. So how can we release dopamine in healthy ways? Some healthy outlets for a dopamine boost could include maintaining a balanced diet, completing a task, listening to music, getting a good night's rest, engaging in self care techniques.
Serotonin: The Mood Stabilizer
Serotonin is also a neurotransmitter carrying messages between the body and brain. The majority of Serotonin is found in the gastrointestinal tract of your stomach, only about 10% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the brain. With that being said, Serotonin plays a large role in bodily functions such as digestive system, appetite, regulating body temperature, sleep, and sexual behavior.
Serotonin plays a part as a hormone that impacts mood. Serotonin is a “feel good” chemical, the release of serotonin can stabilize our mood. A balanced level of serotonin results in calmness, happiness, emotional stability and focus. Lack of serotonin may result in negative thoughts, crying spells, anxiety, irritability, changes in sleep and appetite. Some ways to increase serotonin production include eating foods with a high level of tryptophan such as eggs, nuts, salmon and pineapple. Other outlets include spending time outside in the sun, engaging in aerobic activities, and meditation.
*Serotonin and dopamine may seem very similar and work together to promote overall well being. One difference is that serotonin is associated more with calmness and happiness and dopamine is more associated with reward and motivation.
Oxytocin: The Love Hormone
Oxytocin is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. Oxytocin helps manage the body's reproductive systems. Oxytocin is also partially responsible for the positive emotions that go along with intimacy. Oxytocin's main function is to help with human reproduction hence why it is called the “love hormone”.
Oxytocin plays a large role in functions such as lactation and uterine contractions for the labor and delivery of a baby. In addition, Oxytocin plays a role in romantic attachments, sexual arousal, facial recognition, building trust, building connection, and enhancing child-parent bonding. If you are feeling stressed or anxious, a boost in oxytocin can have a calming, self-soothing effect. Although rare, low levels of oxytocin have been linked to symptoms of depression.
Physical touch and emotional connection are the keys to increasing oxytocin levels. Some ways to receive an oxytocin boost through physical touch include cuddling, holding hands, hugging, giving somebody a massage, and engaging in sexual intimacy. You can also receive the calming benefits of oxytocin through emotional connection such as giving compliments, being helpful, having meaningful conversations with friends, playing with pets, and listening to music.
Endorphins: The Pain Killer
Endorphins are hormones that your body releases when you are experiencing pain or stress. Endorphins are the body's natural pain reliever. The word endorphin comes from “endogenous” meaning body and “morphine” an opiate pain reliever. When feeling pain, your body will release endorphins that essentially block pain signals in the brain.
Endorphins are produced to help us survive through stressful or painful situations. In addition to relieving pain, endorphins can help reduce depressive symptoms and help manage stress and anxiety. The most common way to release endorphins is through exercise. Many people speak of a “runner's high”, this “high” is the result of the endorphins being released in the body during physical engagement. Running is not the only way to release endorphins, you can increase your endorphin levels through other physical activities such as swimming, hiking, and going for a brisk walk.
In addition you can release endorphins through non physical activities such as having a massage, eating dark chocolate, receiving acupuncture, laughing with friends, and engaging in sexual activities. Low endorphin levels may result in signs of depression, anxiety, sleep issues and body aches.
With a basic knowledge of how our body functions to promote wellness, you can now take this information and formulate a plan to increase your happiness hormone production. In general, a daily routine consisting of a healthy diet, exercise, self care, and socializing is the answer to increasing your hormone levels. If you are interested in learning more about improving your wellbeing through daily routine, reach out to one of our counselors at The Center for Couples Counseling and we would love to work with you on creating a happier and healthier lifestyle.