Hormones of joy and happiness: how to cheer up and improve well-being

All our feelings and emotions are the result of chemical reactions occurring in the body. And hormones and neurotransmitters play a decisive role in these processes. Today estet-portal.com will talk about the main hormones of joy, why we feel happy thanks to them and how we can increase their production in the body. We will look at how these molecules affect the mood and well-being of a person, and also suggest several effective ways that will allow you to be a little happier every day by increasing the level of hormones of joy in the body.

What hormones and neurotransmitters of joy are produced in the body

Hormones – these are chemicals that are secreted by the endocrine glands and, when released into the bloodstream, regulate many physiological processes: digestion, metabolism, growth, and even mood.

Neurotransmitters – chemicals produced by neurons that transmit impulses from nerve cells to various tissues and organs, that is, they transmit signals from one cell to another.

Many of the chemicals that make a person feel happy act as both hormones and neurotransmitters. These include:

• acetylcholine (responsible for memory, sexual function, appetite control, growth hormone production;
• dopamine (allows us to feel euphoria, pleasure, controls appetite, motor movements, increases concentration);
• endorphins (natural pain relievers);
• enkephalins (limit pain transmission, suppress depression);
• GABA (has an anti-stress, calming, analgesic effect, increases control and concentration);
• melatonin (responsible for rest and recovery, slows down aging, regulates the biological clock);
• norepinephrine (participates in appetite control, sexual arousal, suppresses depression, gives energy);
• oxytocin (promotes sexual arousal, strengthens feelings of affection);
• phenylethylamine (responsible for the feeling of falling in love);
• serotonin (improves sleep, increases self-esteem, improves mood and makes us more sociable).

In this article, estet-portal.com will tell you about the main four "joy hormones", as well as how to stimulate their production in natural ways. It's about:

• endorphins;
• serotonin;
• dopamine;
• oxytocin.

Hormons of joy endorphins: natural painkillers

The main function of endorphins – block pain, that is, these substances are painkillers that are naturally produced in the human body.

Specialists say that endorphins helped our ancestors escape from predators, drowning out pain during the flight. In today's world, it's rare for humans to encounter predators, but during intense exercise, endorphins act in the same way, helping us to continue exercising. When the action of endorphins stops, we begin to feel pain (usually after a workout, not during it).

How to boost your endorphins:

1. Intense Training: Anaerobic exercise helps us manage chronic pain by activating natural painkillers. In fact, endorphins do not make us feel good, they just allow us to feel better and be glad that we have experienced significant stress.
2. Spicy food: The receptors located on the tongue respond to spicy food by sending pain-like signals to the brain, so the joy hormones are also released in response.

Horm of joy serotonin: the main antidepressant of the human body

Serotonin improves mood, makes us more sociable and friendly. Irritability and depression – consequences of lack of serotonin.

How to increase serotonin levels:

1. Positive thinking: even when we remember pleasant moments from the past, serotonin begins to be actively produced in the brain, so you should not focus on the negative, think about pleasant things more often in order to be happier.
2. Walking in the sun: when the sun's rays hit the skin, the body starts producing vitamin D, which in turn is necessary for the synthesis of this hormone of joy. It is for this reason that people who often walk in the fresh air feel much better and happier.
3. Low Intensity Exercise: While endorphins are released during anaerobic exercise, serotonin synthesis is predominantly triggered during aerobic physical activity and continues to circulate in the body after exercise.
4. Tryptophan: This amino acid is not produced in the body and is essential for good health, since tryptophan is necessary for the synthesis of serotonin. What products contain this amino acid, read in our article «Amino acid trypophane – what is missing for happiness».

Happy hormone dopamine: Your daily source of motivation

Dopamine – a hormone of joy, pleasure and motivation, that is, it helps us to strive for our goal and take pleasure as a reward for our achievements.

How to increase dopamine levels:

1. Set goals more often (and achieve them): achieving your goals – perhaps the best dopamine stimulant. Therefore, try every day to "tick" opposite the completed task: learn 10 foreign words, do something good for others, read a certain part of the book, etc.
2. Set goals for your workouts: Dopamine levels rise along with other joy hormones during physical activity, so set yourself small goals while exercising to get the maximum effect.

The joy hormone oxytocin: responsible for strong relationships

Oxytocin is often referred to as the hormone of affection and love because it is produced in response to physical contact. In large quantities, this hormone is synthesized during lovemaking and at the birth of children. However, even such an elementary thing as hugs contributes to the production of oxytocin and, accordingly, the strengthening of affection, relationships and love. And, as scientists have determined, it is strong relationships that make a person truly happy.

How to increase oxytocin levels:

1. Massage: In addition to physical relaxation of the muscles, massage improves emotional well-being through prolonged physical contact and the production of the hormone of joy oxytocin.
2. Hug: Hug your friends, loved ones, relatives and loved ones every day – it's useful and nice.

Even though the hormones of joy make us feel better, it is important to understand that their possibilities are not unlimited. So, endorphins mask pain, which is only useful for a short time, since constant hidden pain can lead to serious injuries if we are not able to stop in time from too intense activity.

Too much dopamine not only leads to addiction, but also makes us strive for every goal, reducing our ability to prioritize and manage time wisely.

Remember: permanent happiness is impossible, but we can naturally increase the production of hormones of joy, therefore we can safely say that happiness is in our hands.