Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.
Denis Waitley
Now you must be thinking, are these the eye opening words on ‘Happiness’?
You already know it all, Happiness is a choice, one has to live in gratitude, it has to cultivated…
But today i will talk about the biological aspect of happiness. The Hormones which can make a human happy.
There are four hormones which hugely contribute in human’s happiness.
- Endorphins,
- Dopamine,
- Serotonin,
- Oxytocin.
These are like the four tyres of a car, we need all to be well inflated if we want our car to support in our journey. Same way we need all four hormones on our path to happiness.
Let s understand these in most simple way, what do these do, how they help us in our happiness goal and how do we increase them.
The First Hormone is Endorphins.
When we exercise, the body releases Endorphins.
Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as “euphoric, this is achieved by Endorphins.
Any High that is felt is due to this Hormone.
Laughter is another good way of generating Endorphins, even fake Laughter produces the same effect.
Start indulging in 20 to 30 minutes of any form of physical activity every day.
Watch comical, funny stuff to get your day’s dose of Endorphins.
*The second hormone is Dopamine.*
Accomplishment and Appreciation release various degree of Dopamine.
Say for child even the smallest of achievement like getting a star in note book to getting admission in a reputed institution, when appreciated and applauded, leads to feeling of achievement and hence to feeling happy. This is because of release of Dopamine.
That’s the reason When we get appreciation for our work at the office or at home, we feel accomplished and good.
This also explains why most housewives are unhappy since they rarely get acknowledged or appreciated for their work.
Also whenever we buy anything , a dress, a car, a house, the latest gadgets, so on and so forth. In each instance, mind releases Dopamine and we become happy.
Now, do we realize why we become happy when we shop?
So should we start splurging money ?
No, not necessary.
Go out and buy vegetables, fruits, cake to bake ingredients, seeds for kitchen pots, green saplings etc etc
But importantly start acknowledging, appreciating yourself for the small simple goals you achieve, even cleaning of a drawer, setting almirah, making a new dish, let every achievement be celebrated of yours and others too, so that they too feel happy.
The third hormone Serotonin
is released when we take action that benefits others.
When we think beyond ourselves and give back to others or to nature or to the animals or to the society, brain releases Serotonin.
Even simple acts like teaching your helper child, asking well being of your old neighbor, cooking meals for your ill friends, taking care of strays or just writing information, helpful blogs, answering peoples questions on Quora or Facebook groups will generate Serotonin.
That is because whenever we use our precious time to care, uplift others, Serotonin releases leading us to feel happy and fulfilled.
The final hormone is Oxytocin
is released when we become close to other human beings.
When we hug our friends or family Oxytocin is released.
Munnabhai’s Jadoo Ki Jhappi does wonders.
So there is an exercise in heal your life 2 day training, which includes 7 min long hug with the partner.
Similarly, even shaking hands or putting your arms around someone’s shoulders releases various amounts of Oxytocin.
HAPPINESS HAS A CHEMICAL EQUATION…
It is simple, we have to Laugh and exercise every day to get Endorphins,
we have to appreciate and acknowledge little goals and get Dopamine,
we need to be nice to others to get Serotonin and
finally hug our kids, friends, and families to get Oxytocin and we will be happy.
Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy. Cynthia Nelms
Add Comment