INTRODUCTION
Sooo, lets set the team-I meant scene. I am going to use a sports analogy (of course) so you can envision in more clearly. You and your team are in the championship game- you guys were the under dogs and weren´t expected to make it this far. Fast forward to the end of the game and you guys won! You are estatic and feel a rush of adrenaline coarse through your body. What are these emotions that you are feeling? Happiness of course! The limbic system in our brains are responsible for emotions as well as memory. The amygdala is responsible for processing negative and positive emotions such as our happy hormones.The ´happy´ hormones refer to dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. These are known as neurotransmitters. I made an acronym in order to remember them-DOSE.
DOPAMINE
To start off with let´s talk about the ¨feel good¨ hormone, also known as dopamine. Dopamine is associated with pleasure and reward. It also has other functions such as our decision making, motor function, and mood. When you come into contact with something that you love- like your favorite food, dopamine is released. Your dopamine levels can raise due to anticipation and lower due to disappointment. Dopamine assists in feeling motivation, happiness, focus, and alertness.
OXYTOCIN
Let´s continue on with the ¨love hormone¨, also known as oxytocin. This hormone is vital in childbirth, breastfeeding, and child-parent bonding. In males it helps more sperm. Oxytocin assists in bonding in relationships, and promotes trust and empathy. It also has a positive effect on social behaviors such as trust, relaxation, and your overall psychological stability.
SEROTONIN
Onto the next happy hormone! The natural mood stabilizer hormone, also known as serotonin. Serotonin also helps regulate your sleep, learning ability, memory, mood, appetite, and digestion. It also has a direct correlation with reducing depression, managing anxiety, maintain bone health, healing wounds, and stimulating nausea. This hormone also helps you feel more happy, more calm, less anxious, more focused, and overall, more emotionally stable.
ENDORPHINS
Lastly, let´s talk about endorphins-our bodies natural pain reliever. These neurochemicals reduce pain increase pleasure. Endorphins are released when you are experiencing some type of pain or are stressed out, but also released while you are eating, drinking, doing physical fitness, and more. They are also beneficial because the relieve depression, reduce stress and anxiety, help with pain during childbirth, reduce your weight, and boosts your self esteem.
HOW TO BOOST YOUR HAPPY HORMONES
Everyone wants to feel happy, so listed below are some ways you can release these hormones into your body. Try some of these out today!
exercise
meditate
play with pets
visit a new place
enjoy the sunlight
hug/kissed a loved one
spend time with friends
written by Arianna Sparrow, a.k.a a soccer star/fitness fanatic
Source-healthline.com
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