Being happy and content: This is probably a state that everyone considers desirable. Everyone experiences the state of happiness subjectively, but the chemical processes that take place in the brain are the same for everyone.
In this article, you'll learn exactly what's happening in your brain and how you can improve your brain chemistry!
Table of contents
- Being happy - what happens in the brain?
- Happiness hormone and tip #1: Increase your dopamine levels!
- Happiness hormone and tip #2: Increase your serotonin levels!
- Happiness hormone and tip #3: Boost the release of your body’s own endorphins
- Happiness hormone and tip no. #4: The cuddle hormone oxytocin makes you happy
- Conclusion
- Sources
1. Being happy - What happens in the brain?
For many, the state of happiness refers to the subjective feeling evoked by personal actions such as success or outstanding achievements . Being happy actually depends on how you live your life and how successful it is for you.
What many people don't realize, however, is that happiness is also a chemical process in your brain. Strictly speaking, there are four key neurotransmitters / neurochemicals that produce the feeling of happiness in the brain. Biochemically, three neurotransmitters in particular are involved : dopamine , serotonin , and oxytocin .
These three neurotransmitters are joined by a cocktail of your brain's own opioids : endorphins . Together, they create a state of happiness and ensure that you feel content and simply well.
The length and quality of this happiness depends on what triggers the positive feelings. Sex or material rewards like money activate your reward system, specifically the nucleus accumbens.
An area of your brain that responds primarily to the neurotransmitter dopamine . However, the happiness generated by dopamine is only temporary and must be renewed again and again.
Other forms of reward, such as social interaction in the form of a deep friendship or recognition at work, activate a longer-term state of happiness .
They activate areas in the cerebral cortex that are primarily responsible for processing positive experiences. However, you experience the most lasting feeling of happiness when you are fully absorbed in an activity and successfully complete your tasks . This state is also called flow , or flow state .
A study from the University of Braunschweig examined the connection between happiness and flow in more detail. [1] It found that during flow , a whole cocktail of neurotransmitters , especially endorphins, is released , which transport you to a state of concentration and contentment!
Not only does it feel good, but this cocktail of happy hormones also has addictive potential. Once you've experienced the state of flow, your brain will, in a sense, continually guide you toward happiness!
Take-Home Message #1: Your brain reacts to success and positive influences in your environment with a diverse cocktail of happiness hormones. If you want to be happy, you'll achieve this state most consistently when you're in what's known as flow.
2. Happiness hormone and tip #1: Increase your dopamine levels!
The most well-known hormone with the power to make you happy is dopamine, although it is particularly important for your motivation , drive and mental performance .
Every time you achieve your goals at work, in sports, or in your personal life, dopamine is released. The amount depends on the degree of your success.
Overall, you feel happy and full of energy. Your brain remembers this wonderful feeling , creating a feedback effect . The resulting euphoria is stored in your body, and your brain motivates you to repeat the very things that triggered the feeling of happiness in the future.
Dopamine is, in a sense, your personal happy drug , motivating you, driving you, and directing your attention toward the things that trigger a sense of success. Every step toward success is rewarded by dopamine.
A recent study by the University of Amsterdam demonstrated this. [2] The test subjects showed a significant dopamine deficiency, which led to motivation and concentration difficulties.
Dopamine has another important function: It's not just a hormone, but also a neurotransmitter. Dopamine acts as a messenger in your brain, stimulating nerve cells and thus being essential for the transmission of stimuli and information.
If there is too little dopamine as a neurotransmitter, it not only prevents you from being happy, but also leads to difficulty concentrating .
There are two ways you can increase your dopamine levels . The first tip sounds simple, but it's effective. What you need are small successes that stimulate your body to release dopamine and create a feeling of happiness.
The longer you go without experiencing success, the more the dopaminergic pathways in your brain atrophy. Your brain essentially forgets what happiness feels like, and the feedback effect that motivates and drives you disappears. So try setting small interim goals and celebrate even the small successes!
Try to simply reward yourself with small moments of happiness. The second tip for increasing your dopamine levels is proper nutrition . Phenylalanine , omega-3 fatty acids , and L-theanine, in particular, are needed by your body to produce dopamine and the dopaminergic pathways in your brain.
Fatty acids are also essential for the development and maintenance of synapses and the regulation of neurotransmitters in the brain. You can find the right foods in this article about dopamine .
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3. Happiness hormone and tip #2: Increase your serotonin level!
Alongside dopamine, the other happiness hormone, serotonin, plays an important role. These hormones are usually released in combination, but differ in their mode of action. Serotonin is more responsible for your overall mood and well-being.
Just like dopamine, it is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter, which means it plays an important role in numerous regulatory processes in your brain.
Serotonin, for example, is responsible for the excitation of nerve cells and thus controls the correct processing of information in your brain. But you need serotonin not only for thinking, but also, and above all, for happiness.
If you suffer from a serotonin deficiency , it negatively affects your mood , as demonstrated by a study from Washington University in St. Louis. [3] The study found that a serotonin deficiency is often associated with depression . Therefore, well-replenish serotonin stores are a prerequisite for happiness.
The production and regulation of serotonin works somewhat differently than dopamine. Your brain needs certain building blocks to produce this feel-good hormone, which are supplied through food.
First and foremost, these include amino acids, which then serve as starting materials for the production of serotonin. This is the first tip for increasing serotonin. The most important amino acid is L-tryptophan , which is found in nuts, wheat, and fish.
This makes taking L-tryptophan one of the best ways to naturally boost serotonin levels and thus happiness. Once ingested through food, L-tryptophan is first converted into 5-HTP, which is then synthesized into serotonin.
This is where things get interesting, because your body needs another factor : solar radiation . Sounds strange?
When you expose your body to the sun, vitamin D is produced in your skin, which your body needs to produce serotonin. Therefore, you need not only amino acids from your diet, but also vitamin D to increase your serotonin levels and feel better.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : In our MOOD capsules you get L-tryptophan, vitamin D and many other ingredients that are important for the production of serotonin.
4. Happiness hormone and tip #3: Boost the release of your body’s own endorphins
The term endorphins is closely associated with happiness. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, endorphins put you in a state of euphoria, and secondly, they dampen your perception of pain .
Athletes are especially familiar with this feeling, as endorphins are released during an intense training session , making the exertion less noticeable. Afterward , athletes feel very satisfied and relaxed .
It's all a work of endorphins! The solution for increasing endorphins and thus greater satisfaction is obvious: physical activity is the best stimulant for endorphin production.
It doesn't matter what type of workout you do, as long as it's challenging. You'll definitely love the positive feeling afterward! Certain foods, like black pepper (piperine) , can enhance the production of endorphins.
5. Happiness hormone and tip no. #4: The cuddle hormone oxytocin makes you happy
Everyone needs physical closeness. Your brain knows this too, because it releases the hormone oxytocin during social interactions , touch, and sex . It's not called the " cuddle hormone " for nothing. When oxytocin is released, it can give you a feeling of euphoria, depending on the intensity.
The hormone not only makes you feel happy, but also makes you more receptive to interpersonal signals, as a study from the University of Zurich found. [4]
The study examined human interaction in connection with oxytocin and was able to demonstrate that oxytocin can improve trust in others and thus also one's own self-image.
More relaxed and open in interpersonal interactions ? Sounds pretty good, but here's the catch. The production of oxytocin can't be controlled, for example, through food. The only thing that helps: cuddling as much as you can !
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Supply your body with L-tryptophan, vitamin D, and many other important substances responsible for producing serotonin. Our MOOD capsules will help you do just that.
6. Conclusion
While happiness is largely a personal and subjective experience, various chemical processes take place in our brain to make us feel happy. This involves the release of the so-called happiness hormones dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin.
You can consciously influence the release of these hormones yourself. The easiest way to do this is by eating a balanced diet so your body gets all the nutrients it needs to produce the right hormones. You can also consciously perform actions that lead to the production of feel-good hormones.
7. Sources
[1] http://rzbl04.biblio.etc.tu-bs.de:8080/docportal/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/DocPortal_derivate_00034176/Henk_2014_Auf_der_Suche_nach_der_Wissenschaft_von_Flow.pdf
[2] http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v12/n4/abs/4001949a.html
[3] https://source.wustl.edu/2002/01/low-serotoninreceptor-levels-linked-to-depression/
[4] http://www.news.uzh.ch/de/articles/2011/fremden-vertrauen-dank-oyxtocin.html
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