Happiness Hormone Hacks
Hormones influence everything from how well you sleep to how happy you feel. And while we’re stuck with the neurochemicals we are made of, you can help regulate your hormones to improve your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
The 4 Happy Hormones
When it comes to improving your mood, you can count on the “feel good” hormones—dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.
Dopamine helps regulate your brain’s reward system. We get a rush of dopamine in moments of pleasure. When dopamine is low, however, we can feel helpless and unmotivated.
Serotonin plays key roles in regulating mood, sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory. That’s a lot! This is why many treatments for depression, PTSD, anxiety, and other mood disorders address serotonin.
Oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone,” promotes and reinforces social bonding and sexual pleasure. Plus, oxytocin boosts our ability to address stress in healthy ways.
Endorphins are a group of chemical substances known as “opiate peptides.” Not only are they a natural pain reliever, when endorphins increase as a result of reward-producing activities, they create feelings of well-being and bliss.
Boost Your Happy Hormones
In a world full of demands and distractions, it can be hard to carve out a life of happiness. And while Ayurveda is all about creating a lifestyle of wellness, you don’t need to have a perfect routine to increase your happiness right now.
Here are a few quick tips:
Eat healthy foods
Give someone a compliment
Take a walk outside
Laugh
If you want to learn why these happiness hacks work and learn a few more, check out this 10-minute episode on my podcast!
Be well,
Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD
