How to be happy
‘Happy hormones’ enable us to feel everything from mild satisfaction to pure elation. But what the hell are they? How do they affect us? Is there a way to make more of them? Are they even hormones? Aren’t they neurotransmitters? Is there a difference? Answers here.
Light neuroscience bite
What are the happy hormones & neurotransmitters?
Dopamine (neurotransmitter)
Serotonin (neurotransmitter, hormone when it wants to be)
Endorphins (neurotransmitter)
Oxytocin (hormone, neurotransmitter when it feels like it).
Similarities
Hormones and neurotransmitters are both chemical signalling molecules we produce. Generally distinct from each other, it is possible for neurotransmitters to act in the brain and be useful as hormones elsewhere. Double act!
Differences
The big difference between these two space age messaging systems is where they live and work.
Hormones
“Hormones travel through the bloodstream heading for organs and tissues and are regulated by the endocrine system.”
Travel through the bloodstream and bee-line for organs and tissues. They are regulated (produced and released) by our endocrine system. The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs throughout the body. Find out about this intricate internal system here.
Neurotransmitters
“Neurotransmitters live in our brain and spinal cord and operate between neurons.”
Communicate via our brain and spinal cord (EG our central nervous system) and operate in the synapses (gaps between) neurons. They are the chemical information that jumps between the sending neuron and the receiving neuron. As beautifully illustrated by this Class A textbook illustration.
“Hormones are regulatory substances produced in an organism and transported in tissue fluids like blood…stimulating specific cells or tissues into action.”
“Neurotransmitters are chemical substances released at the end of a nerve cell by the arrival of nerve impulse, transmitting the impulse into another neuron, muscle or some other structure.”
Back to happiness
Dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin are our main ‘fuckyeah’ feels so WTF does each one do?
Dopamine = Pleasure
This neurotransmitter helps us control muscle movement, learn, remember and enables us to feel pleasure. Sat in the ‘reward’ part of our brain, dopamine’s going apeshit when you win a bet or take a line of cocaine. Dopamine comes in brief stints so we’re always hounding for more. Think of it as a biologically engrained motivator, to keep us doing the things that give us pleasure.
Serotonin = Gut-feeling happiness
Neurotransmitter-hormone-hybrid, this guy regulates sleep, appetite, mood, makes us happy and loads more. Originally for survival, we’ve got serotonin to thank for that content feel when we gain an advantage.
Serotonin plays hormone as a side act, and us mammals have more of it in our digestive system (part of the endocrine system) than in our brain. So when we boost our gut health, serotonin’s all over that (literally).
Low levels are directly linked with depression. Avoid. Better keep it bubblin’ up in there, read on for how to.
Oxytocin = Connection
Hormone and neurotransmitter, touch stimulates oxytocin and it comes out to play when we’re experiencing connectedness. This could be with our partner, breastfeeding, stroking a cat, empathising with a buddy or just generally having a good old social. Known as the relationship or love hormone, oxytocin is released when we’re experiencing mutuality and acceptance with others. It shows up when we’re feeling trust, safety and mutual support.
Endorphins = No pain no gain
Neurotransmitter and hormone, endorphins mask pain. Remember that time you fell over and said “I’m fine”? It’s thanks to endorphins that you actually felt fine. (Only to work out 20 minutes later that you weren’t). We have this neat trick from our cavemen days for times we say, broke a leg and still needed to get back home.
Today we actively chase endorphins. Long distance runners are a great example. Arguably masochistic, the enjoyment comes from running to the point that it’s painful. So much so, it feels good. By experiencing pain, we train our body to adapt and improve our pain threshold. To keep enjoying gruelling runs, runners have to distress their body more every time to get that endorphin rush. ‘No pain no gain’ as they say.
There are pain-free ways to get endorphins though, like moving our body in new ways. Endorphins leap around when we’re laughing, having sex or dancing. That’ll do it. No need to run a marathon, phew.
How to improve happiness
Here’s a comprehensive list of what to do to get your grin on.
Sight
Look: Natural light and sunlight are a quick and easy way to stimulate endorphins and serotonin.
Smell
Nature: The smell of soil and compost (or the bacteria that live in these “mycobacterium vaccae”), stimulates serotonin.
Sound
Giggle: Hearing, watching and joining in with a good laugh produces a double whammy of endorphins & oxytocin.
Listen: My go-to-good-mood-inducer-&-booster is always music. While instrumental music naturally releases dopamine, listening to whatever genre puts you in a good mood will demand your serotonin production levels up. Playing music or dancing to it will also give you an endorphin high.
Touch
Snuggle: Physical affection like kissing, cuddling and sex (I’ll take all three thanks) stimulate oxytocin production.
Sweat: Exercise is a big win for happy feels. Getting your heart pumping improves levels of all four of our fave feel-good-ers. Ja tak.
Taste
Cook: Cooking and enjoying a meal in company or solitude is a sure-fire way to boost happiness. Certain foods can trigger certain responses:
Endorphins ~ spicy foods (only if you like them, obv)
Dopamine ~ foods high in tyrosine means protein-rich grub like sesame, soy, almonds and eggs
Serotonin ~ foods high in tryptophan like milk, tinned tuna, oats, cheese and chocolate (yes)
Oxytocin ~ seek Vitamin D, Vitamin C and magnesium in things like fatty fish, spinach and avocados
All four ~ foods containing probiotics (your gut’s a huge fan of these, holla endocrine system) include yogurt and fermented things like kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut.
Your happy goody bag
Realistically you’re not going to notice huge differences whichever of our dream team you choose to indulge in, so picking and choosing re your bodies response is kinda nonsensical (maybe there’s a study there? “The experiential sensation of eliciting segregated happy hormones and neurotransmitters”). Get off your ass, go, do, and I promise you’re going to feel better than you do right now reading about them.
Move, dance, exercise
Find sun or natural light
Be in nature
Laugh
Perform, listen and dance to music
Cook and enjoy a good meal
Kiss, cuddle, fuck (all three ideally)
