How To Produce More ‘Happy’ Hormones to Boost Dopamine and Serotonin ?

Whether you’re suffering from COVID fatigue or feeling blue due to dreary weather, there are plenty of ways to cultivate more happiness in your daily life. The key is figuring out which activities boost your body’s natural feel-good hormones and doing more of them. We all strive to be happy – it’s a wonderful feeling that can take over your mind and body, making you laugh or even cry, and it’s so infectious that it can rub off onto others too. But without wanting to de-romanticise happiness, the reason that we feel upbeat, chirpy or elated is due to very complex chemical reactions that happen within our bodies. 

Hormones act as messengers for our bodies, regulating everything from our physical functioning to our emotional well-being. The cool thing about many of these hormones? They’re highly influenced by our thoughts, activities and even the foods we eat. In fact, there is a number of hormones which can affect our happy mood and release the chemical to produce happy hormones, but four hormones are major in them. Understanding these chemicals and how they work can help you devise specific strategies to feel better. The four, key happiness-boosting hormones.

Happy Hormones

One of the key elements for this is that our positive connections and experiences of awe and wonder actually create a chemical reaction in our brain.  This is via chemical messengers in our brains, more commonly known as hormones. There are four main hormones that are primarily responsible for creating those feel-good emotions and sensations. They moderate our feelings of well-being and are influenced by our stress levels, self-care, and lifestyle choices.

Dopamine

This hormone drives your brain’s reward chemical.  It is released when you are doing something pleasurable. This could be eating a great meal, listening to inspiring music, getting a massage, or completing a physical exercise workout. The release of dopamine gives feelings of well-being and motivates you to seek things you enjoy and do well.

Dopamine is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine constitutes about 80% of the catecholamine content in the brain. Dopamine instructs your brain’s reward system. If you are praised at work for doing a good job, you’ll get a delicious dopamine hit, resulting in feelings of well-being. It also drives pleasure-seeking behaviour. 

Ways To Boot Dopamine

We know Dopamine is a trigger when you do something well.  Make sure you regularly incorporate things you enjoy and do well, into your life. Kicking a goal or achieving a target or accomplishing a task will all give you a hit of dopamine and tell your brain you’ve done a good job. Another way is to do something kind for someone.  Volunteering on a regular basis will also give you a regular hit of dopamine that will help make you feel good. There are several supplements and medications available for people who have low dopamine levels. Medication is often used in cases where your depleted dopamine levels is caused by a condition such as depression or schizophrenia.  However, there are some techniques you could also use to increase your dopamine levels naturally.

• Get Enough Sleep

• Listen to Some Music

• Maintain a Healthy Diet

• Exercise More

• Meditate yourself

• Cut Down on Processed Sugars

• Remove Stressors From Your Life

If you are experiencing symptoms that indicate that you might have a condition more serious than low dopamine levels, it’s important to see a doctor. If the cause of your low dopamine levels is an underlying medical condition, treating the condition will alleviate your low dopamine level symptoms and leave you feeling healthier and happier. 

Serotonin

Serotonin is the chemical nerve cells produce. It sends signals between your nerve cells. Serotonin is found mostly in the digestive system, although it’s also in blood platelets and throughout the central nervous system. Serotonin is made from the essential amino acid tryptophan. This amino acid must enter your body through your diet and is commonly found in foods such as nuts, cheese, and red meat. Tryptophan deficiency can lead to lower serotonin levels. This can result in mood disorders, such as anxiety or depression.

How to boost serotonin

Serotonin is a chemical messenger that affects many functions within the body and brain. One theory is that serotonin helps regulate anxiety and stress. Low serotonin is one of the factors that may contribute to depression, but people can take some steps to increase their serotonin levels. it’s better to eat foods rich in the essential amino acid tryptophan, which can pass through the blood-brain barrier.8 Foods high in tryptophan include:

• Animal protein, such as turkey, chicken, and fish
• Eggs
• Milk
• Soy products like soybeans (edamame), tofu, seitan, soy milk
• Nuts and seeds, including peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds

Studies suggest that increasing tryptophan intake can have a positive effect on mood and well-being, especially in individuals with tryptophan depletion. Enjoying a few minutes outside on a sunny day works double-duty to boost serotonin levels: Bright light is known to promote serotonin output by stimulating the body’s circadian rhythm (its internal clock).

“You can develop your belief in your own worth. If you focus on your losses you will depress your serotonin, even if you’re a rock star or a CEO. You can build the habit of focusing on your wins. Your serotonin will suffer if you don’t,” Breuning says.  It’s commonly known that exercise is good for mental health. How does it help? In addition to endorphins, research suggests that physical activity promotes the release of several mood-boosting chemicals, including dopamine and serotonin.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. It plays a role in social bonding, reproduction, childbirth, and the period after childbirth. Oxytocin is a hormone that’s produced in the hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. Its main function is to facilitate childbirth, which is one of the reasons it is called the “love drug” or “love hormone.”

In 2012, researchers reportedTrusted Source that people in the first stages of romantic attachment had higher levels of oxytocin, compared with non-attached single people. These levels persisted for at least 6 months. Oxytocin secretion happens in response to stimuli perceived by the brain, which is carefully monitoring your environment for threats (and signs of safety) using your ears, eyes, taste, touch, and smell. It’s produced in response to touch and even the right kind of eye contact, but also in times of stress to counterbalance the effects of cortisol.

How to boost oxytocin

Everyone enjoys the feeling of loving someone or being loved. Human connection is such an important part of life. There’s no better time than Valentine’s Day to express those feelings of love and increase oxytocin.  Boost your cuddle hormone levels with skin-to-skin contacts, such as holding hands, hugging, and cuddling. Physical touch not only promotes oxytocin release but also encourages cardiovascular and immune system health. That’s why it’s so important for new mothers and their babies to experience skin-to-skin contact immediately after childbirth.

When oxytocin is released from the pituitary gland, it helps us feel empathy and trust. Experiencing positive relationships with others can help increase this chemical messenger. Bonding behaviours as simple as talking on the phone with a friend, grabbing a cup of coffee with a coworker, or singing with your kids in the car all can increase your love hormone. “Social trust is what triggers oxytocin. If you hug someone you don’t trust, it doesn’t feel good. Trust comes first. You can build social trust by taking small positive steps toward people,” Breuning says. 

Endorphins

Endorphins are chemicals (hormones) your body releases when it feels pain or stress. They’re released during pleasurable activities such as exercise, massage, eating and sex too. Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being. The level of endorphins in the human body varies from person to person. People who have lower levels may be more likely to have depression or fibromyalgia, but more research is needed in this area.

“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.

How to boost endorphins

For years, researchers suspected that endorphins caused the so-called “runner’s high,” a feeling of euphoria that happens after lengthy, vigorous physical activity. As exercise boosts mood and increases endorphins, some medical professionals prescribe regular exercise as a treatment for mild to moderate depression and anxiety. Meditation and yoga are known for their stress-relieving and relaxing effects. This may be partially due to an endorphin release. Some research suggests that yoga and meditation can decrease stress markers and increase endorphins.

Research from 2013Trusted Source suggests that eating dark chocolate could boost endorphin levels. Cocoa powder and chocolate contain chemicals called flavonoids that appear to be beneficial to the brain. Plenty of research has been written about the health benefits of laughter, and studies suggest that laughing increases endorphins.