HORMONES, THE ONES FROM HEALTH CLASS?
HAPPINESS
WHAT BUYS US HAPPINESS?
Happiness is a surprisingly complex emotion, and has also proven difficult to research. Where does it come from, and how can we be happier? Science shows that the answer lies not in money or fame, but those that surround us.
To many researchers, there's two kinds of happiness: joy—that subconscious warmth when we cuddle a puppy—and happiness—which is a conscious state of mind. It's that satisfaction you feel getting a good test grade, or when you're hungry and grab something to eat. Even then, the lines are blurry and research on any kind of happiness is inconclusive
There's no specific region in the brain controlling happiness like the amygdala controls fear and anger. Evolution-wise, it makes sense; the fight or flight response was needed to survive, but happiness not so much. So, what causes us to feel happy if not a specific region? The answer lies in hormones; specifically dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.
IN CLASS, WE'RE TAUGHT HORMONES ARE RELEASED DURING OUR GROWTH YEARS
And yet, that's not all they do. They're the body's chemical messengers that not only control growth, but also our metabolism, maintaining homeostasis, and the primary focus for us: mood. However, these three "feel-good" hormones (dopamine, serotonin, and endorphin) are also considered neurotransmitters, which carry messages across neurons both in the brain and across the nervous system. Their ability to play both these roles is how we feel that euphoric rush, or the release of stress.
AUTHOR'S COMMENT
As someone who struggles with their mental health, knowing that there's a scientific cause is strangely comforting. I hope others like me find the same—that it's not just "in our heads," and know we fight something difficult. Below are charities loosely related to mental health that I've donated to in the past and believe are causes that deserve support:
Dopamine controls the feeling of pleasure as part of the brain's reinforcement/reward system. It's released in the brain when an action leads to a reward, and thus we repeat the action (like positive reinforcement in dogs). Dopamine isn't all good though; it plays a role in addiction when it reinforces the action of taking a drug to feel a rush. Dopamine is released by the hypothalamus (a region in the brain) in a two-step process: amino acids are taken from the food we eat, which are then synthesized into dopamine.
Endorphins relieve stress and are our body's natural painkillers. It's released by the hypothalamus in response to pain or stress, or in response to laughing or falling in love.
It's been repeated many times, but it's true; some of the best ways to increase production of these mood-boosting hormones include working out, eating foods high in amino acids, and getting sun. Exercising and absorbing UV light boosts production of serotonin and endorphins, while eating foods high in amino acids gives our body the amino acids needed to synthesize dopamine and serotonin.
It's counterintuitive, but studying happiness can develop treatments for those with depression and Parkinson's disease. Knowing that a lack serotonin is linked to depression or a lack of dopamine is linked to those with Parkinson's allows researchers to find ways they can synthetically increase production, like modern antidepressants do.
Serotonin plays a role simple to describe: it boosts mood. While this is its primary function, this boosted mood can improve other functions in our body, such as memory, sleep, and digestion. There's dangers to having too little: low levels of serotonin are usually associated with depression, and thus antidepressants work to raise serotonin production. Production, surprisingly, happens mostly in the gut (about 90%) while only 10% happens in the brain. This gut serotonin helps with bodily functions. Serotonin, like dopamine, comes from an essential amino acid, which can't be made in the body and has to come from what we eat.
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WHY RESEARCH HAPPINESS?
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HOW CAN WE BE HAPPIER?
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ENDORPHINS
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SEROTONIN
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DOPAMINE
