Cuddling, listening to music, walking in the forest, a home-cooked meal. What may seem like simple things we enjoy regularly are in fact science-backed natural mood boosters. And certain happy hormones are the drivers behind them. Glimmers will also release happy hormones.
But what is the deal with hormones? Say the word hormone or hormonal and you might automatically think of puberty or a women’s monthly cycle. However, these chemical messengers are present in every human body regardless of age or gender. They are essentially what gives the human experience its depth and nuance due to their influence on how we experience the world.
Hormones, on the most basic level, are chemicals produced in various areas of the body, such as in the lymph nodes, the hypothalamus in the brain and the ovaries in women. When we use the term fight or flight, we refer to the hormonal release of adrenalin in the adrenal glands. The brain’s pituitary gland releases melatonin, which is responsible for our sleep. Around 50 hormones have been discovered in the human body and serve a wide range of functions from digestion, stress regulation, baby making and happiness production.
This being a lifestyle blog, I want to share with you the fun side of hormones aka. our happy hormones! Four main chemicals aid in our happiness, pleasure and overall well-being. They are serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. The great thing about happy hormones is that with a little understanding, we can induce their release.
Serotonin is mainly responsible for regulating mood and emotions. It also aids in digestion, healing wounds and sleep. On the spectrum of our emotions, serotonin manages our anxiety and happiness by making us generally feel good. Sounds like a true happy hormone.
Our digestive system, blood and central nervous system is where serotonin is located.
Boosters: meditation, exposure to sunlight, socializing with your best friends, dancing and laughing.
Dopamine this happy hormone, elicits states of euphoria and is the main driver behind pleasure and reward. Produced in the brain, dopamine gets released every time we associate a thing or activity that could result in pleasure. This happy hormone also drives our motivation for more as we understand the relation between something and its eventual reward. Studies show that positive anticipation alone can raise our dopamine levels.
Boosters: the smell of bakery air, getting an “A” on a test, listening to your favourite song, a romantic date night, and adequate amounts of sleep.
Oxytocin aka. the love hormone! Our brain produces this chemical during acts of physical touch, such as hugging or kissing. Oxytocin is essential for women giving birth as it helps induce labour and during post-labour, it acts as a glue in parent-baby bonding. This love chemical can be seen as a relationship advocate as it works to enhance it through trust, empathy, bonding, or words of positive affirmation.
Boosters: any form of physical intimacy inside or outside the bedroom, telling someone how much they mean to you, yoga, petting a dog (is there any wonder that dogs’ oxytocin levels also increase upon physical touch?), and cooking or eating together.
Endorphins receive one of the most iconic pop culture quotes from the movie, Legally Blond [E]xercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t. Apart from making people happy and saving the lives of husbands, endorphins act as a natural pain reliever and similar to dopamine, are released during moments of pleasure.
Boosters: exercise, physical intimacy, laughing, excitement, eating chocolate and drinking red wine!
What’s your favourite natural mood booster?!
