Health
4 Hormones That Support Happiness (And How To Activate Them)
Photo by Julia Avamotive, Pexels
Health
4 Hormones That Support Happiness (And How To Activate Them)
Easy to remember thanks to the acronym DOSE, these four hormones are associated with pleasant sensations and emotions.
Here's our guide to better understanding each "happiness" hormone, its effect on the body, and how to maximize the benefits.
1. Dopamine
The pleasure and reward hormone
Dopamine allows the release of energy when we are doing a task and are about to finish it. This hormone impacts our attention, sleep, memory, cognitive abilities, motivation, motor system, and feelings of pleasure! Dopamine is said to function like a reward system in our brain. When a gesture or action provides immediate pleasure, dopamine is released. Our brain logs the impact, which pushes us to reproduce the act to feel this pleasure again.
But be careful; even if it plays a role in well-being, it can also play a role in negative addictions: alcohol, sugar, drugs or junk food, and even social networks.
How to stimulate dopamine
- Complimenting yourself or saying out loud, "I did it. Well done!"
- Positively highlight each step completed in a project, not just the final result
- Break down tasks in several smaller goals to experience more "victorties"
2. Oxytocin
The tenderness hormone
This hormone promotes attachment, cuddling, trust, and love. It is also the antithesis of the stress hormone cortisol. When we feel a positive impulse towards another person—or a pet—it's thanks to oxytocin. In fact, our brain makes sure to give us pleasant effects so that we continue to form social bonds.
Oxytocin is released in the woman's body during childbirth, playing a role in facilitating labour and during lactation. It's also stimulated when we have sex. Even a simple touch triggers its release.
How to stimulate oxytocin
- Get a massage
- Give a hug
- Say, "I love you" to your loved ones
- Hold hands
- hold or pet your pet
- Eat a meal with people you like
- Let loose: sing at the top of your lungs or dance around the living room
3. Serotonin
The good mood hormone
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that acts as a messenger in our central nervous system. It has a stimulating effect, boosts our mood, and is often used to treat depression.
According to studies, even our intestines influence the production of serotonin because our good intestinal bacteria stimulate our neurotransmitters. Serotonin improves our mood, promotes learning, revives memory, activates libido, and positively affects digestion. Recent studies claim that it also has an impact on several body systems: reduction of the feeling of hunger, synchronization of biorhythms (serotonin is necessary for the production of melatonin, which regulates sleep), maintenance of body temperature, regulation of behaviour, ability to heal wounds, and more.
How to stimulate serotonin
- Smile and laugh
- Maintain a strong social network
- Cultivate a spiritual life—t doesn't have to be religious!
4. Endorphins
The feel-good hormone
When faced with physical or psychological stress, the body produces endorphins to relieve or mask the pain. It's a survival function inherited from prehistoric times. This hormone truly played a key role in our ancestors by giving them extra energy, allowing them to flee or fight danger. Our body also secretes endorphins during and after sustained effort, a moment of intense excitement, and even during an orgasm.
Like some substances in tobacco or alcohol, endorphins cause a rapid, instantaneous "high"— it's a natural drug that encourages some athletes to push their limits. If the quantity of endorphins increases during sustained effort, it is multiplied by five after 30 to 45 minutes of stopping the effort.
How to stimulate endorphins
- Let go of your emotions as much as you can through laughing or crying
- Get moving
- Quit smoking—nicotine counteracts the effects of endorphins
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