Meet Your Happy Hormones!

Are you as happy as you could be?

Today I want to introduce you to your happy hormones to give you a better understanding of happiness.

As most of our emotions, our happiness is the result of releasing happiness-related hormones into our brain. Four hormones are responsible for our happy feelings: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin.

Ready to learn more? Let’s talk about it, one hormone at a time!

1- Dopamine AKA The Reward Hormone

Dopamine, the happy hormone, is released when we are expecting a reward and when we get this butterfly-ish feeling after doing a specific activity that gives us pleasure, mere anticipation may be enough to raise our dopamine levels. It could be a certain food, shopping, work-related goals, or just anything else that we enjoy.

Aside from dopamine's “feel good” benefit, it is also involved in many of our body functions:

• Sleep
• Stress Response
• Memory and Focus
• Mood and Emotions

The right amount of dopamine usually goes along with an amazing mood. It’s ideal for learning, planning, and productivity.

Dopamine is associated with the following feelings:

• Alertness
• Focus
• Motivation
• Happiness

2- Serotonin AKA The Calm Hormone

Serotonin flows in our brain when we feel significant or important. When we feel confident and take pride in our work, serotonin is the one flowing. Similarly, when we feel stronger than others, we release serotonin. And ultimately, when we receive social recognition from our communities, we also release serotonin.

How to increase Serotonin naturally:

• Food that contain serotonin or other key nutrients, including vitamin B6, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Examples: Bananas, Eggs, and Beans.
• Light Exposure is very important for people experiencing (SAD) during the darker days of fall and winter. So by spending 10 to 15 minutes outside in the sunlight each day, it will play a key role in producing serotonin.
• Exercise is proven to boost serotonin levels in our brain, but it's very important that we pick something we enjoy to avoid giving the exercise up.

3- Oxytocin AKA The Love Hormone

Oxytocin is that good feeling when you are with someone you trust and love. It’s similarly released through the physical touch of a loved one. As such, oxytocin is often called the love hormone.

Below are some of Oxytocin’s possible relationship-enhancing effects:

• Trust
• Empathy
• Positive / Happy Relationship Memories
• Positive communication
• Fidelity

4- Endorphin AKA "Runners High"

Endorphins are hormones produced naturally by our nervous system to help us cope with pain or stress. They are often called “runners high” hormones because they can act as a pain reliever and happiness booster.

Below are some activities that could naturally increase endorphins:

• Giving, Donating or Doing Charity Work
• Regular Exercise
• Dark Chocolate
• Yoga and Meditation
• Laughing

Do you still need help elevating these happy hormones? Drop me a message and we'll work it out together :)