Hacking Happiness
8.07.2023
By: Ray SaVonne
Have you ever just sat and thought “what makes me happy?” The initial thoughts may be outings with friends or family, or doing a hobby that makes you smile. But did you know there are also things that are invariably happening around you that affect your mood and your “happiness” gaugers?
Our brains are constantly using neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that our bodies can't function without). These messengers carry chemical signals (messages) from one neuron (nerve cell) to the next target cell, which can be another nerve cell, a muscle cell or even a gland. All these messages help us interact with the world around us. Sometimes even the smallest interaction can transmit happiness chemicals (hormones) that often affect our mood, our view of life, and the way in which we seemingly respond.
So let’s start at the basis of it all, our neurotransmitters. These chemical messengers are working all day every day, literally “NO DAYS OFF.” So, just imagine how repetitions of actions and thought patterns are shaping our personalities and how we acknowledge and deal with our emotions.
Whether we realize it or not, we all have four main brain chemicals that are continuously influencing our happiness: dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin. Let’s take a more indepth look at these four happiness chemicals:
Dopamine - Dopamine resides in a small region of our brains that helps us feel pleasure. It’s an important part of our reward system, meaning our brains release dopamine when we do things that feel good or pleasurable. Dopamine also helps with our movement and motivation.
Endorphins - Endorphins trigger positive feelings when we do something we enjoy such as laughing, exercising, or sexual intercourse. Endorphins can reduce stress and improve our sense of well-being. They can also stimulate pain relief, which is the same reaction that occurs chemically when we take prescription medication. The euphoric feeling(s) that endorphins produce ultimately helps us mask pain.
Serotonin - Serotonin is produced when we feel satisfaction or important. It also helps regulate our sleep, appetite, mood, digestion, wound healing and bone health.
Oxytocin - Oxytocin produces feelings of love and connection. It’s also known as the cuddle hormone and is responsible for social bonding, reproduction, maternal behavior (childbirth & breastfeeding), and physical touch.
Since our brains already have these neurotransmitters working day in and day out, it would only make sense to maximize them, right? The good thing is all it takes is a few intentional decisions throughout the day to boost these chemicals into life changing subconscious decisions.
First up, dopamine. In order to naturally boost dopamine (our pleasure chemical), we can think on the basis of reward. Even the simple fact of thinking about a reward will help stimulate the flow of dopamine. So, if you’re needing to hack into that dopamine bag, doing things like completing a task, self-care activities, or eating good food will aid this happiness chemical.
Next, let's hone in on our endorphins (our positive feeling reinforcer & pain reliever). One thing that we can do to generate this natural chemical is to incorporate some type of physical activity into our daily routines. The “get up and play an hour a day” from Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign lives rent free in my head every time I start a new workout plan, haha! But seriously, you’d be pleasantly surprised how being active and incorporating healthier habits will increase your overall quality of life.
Serotonin (our feeling of satisfaction and importance), is increased when we perform tasks intentionally. You can meditate, swim, take a hike, or run to ignite a natural flow of serotonin. Another good thing about this satisfaction chemical is you can hack it without any physical activity at all. For example, having a high self-confidence innately releases serotonin. So, believe in yourself and what you can do and watch your serotonin levels elevate exponentially!
Finally, we have oxytocin (our love and connection chemical). Oxytocin is probably one of the easiest chemicals to hack (and my personal fave) because it involves being selfless. For instance, giving someone a compliment releases oxytocin. This may not feel big or life changing, but even communicating with a stranger can reward us with positive emotions. Being kind not only boosts our oxytocin, but it also can boost our serotonin and dopamine. That’s basically getting a three for one special! Who wouldn't want that? Imagine a world where we’d all benefit from sharing and receiving kindness. It would truly be AMAZING!
So today, hack into that dopamine by taking care of yourself, kickstart your endorphins by adding a workout into your daily routine, tap into that serotonin by having a picnic in the park, and spark some oxytocin by telling someone they look nice. Your inner Kléi is only a decision away!
XO,
The Kléi
