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How to Get Rid of Depression in the Fall Tips, Book Hormones of Happiness Reviews
October is already in the yard. Leaden skies overhead, stress at work, awful rainy weather … Stop! No autumn blues! Woman’s Day talks about how to be happy and energize others.
How to be happy? Philosophers and writers have long pondered this question, but, oddly enough, scientists have answered it.
The human brain produces four joy hormones – serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin – and we are able to stimulate their synthesis. How to do this, read our article prepared on the basis of the book of the professor of the University of California Loretta Graziano Breuning “Hormones of Happiness” (publishing house MYTH).
Setting goals in search of dopamine
All the hormones of happiness are produced for a reason. In fact, it was they who helped our ancestors to survive. For example, a monkey’s brain starts synthesizing dopamine when it sees a banana that it can get hold of. The animal will definitely want to repeat the experience and re-experience the feeling of joy, so it will continue to search for sweet fruits.
We have a surge of dopamine when we find what we need (make a discovery, hand over a project, finish a novel, etc.). But this hormone is broken down rather quickly. If you win an Oscar, then in a couple of hours you will no longer feel infinitely happy.
Now tell me, how often do you manage to accomplish something significant? If you are like most people, you are unlikely to enjoy your success every day. However, this is precisely the secret of dopamine happiness. You just need to learn to look at your responsibilities from a different angle.
Notice even the smallest steps towards your goal. If you jotted down just a few ideas for a future project today, memorized a couple of dance moves you want to learn, or started cleaning up a cluttered garage, praise yourself for that. Indeed, from such insignificant actions, success is born. By celebrating small victories, you can trigger your dopamine rush much more often.
Laughter and sports as sources of endorphins
Endorphin helps relieve pain and euphoria. Thanks to him, an injured animal is still able to escape from the clutches of a hungry predator and escape.
Of course, there is no need to hurt yourself in order to experience happiness. There are better methods: endorphins are synthesized when you exercise or laugh.
Train yourself to exercise every day. The more varied the training, the better. Stretch, do aerobics, pump all muscle groups. To make it more interesting, you can combine sports with other activities. Dance, garden, combine evening walks with jogging. Enjoy it.
How to use laughter? Very simple! Think about which of your friends you most often have fun with; what stories, TV shows, anecdotes, comedy shows or videos on the Internet make you laugh. Try to turn to these sources of positive emotions every day for the next portion of the hormone of happiness.
Animals need oxytocin so that they can be among their own kind, because being in a pack is much safer than trying to survive alone. By building trusting relationships with people, you stimulate the synthesis of this hormone.
Believing everyone is very risky, so don’t try to make everyone your best friend. However, you can try to connect with others. Remember: a bad peace is better than a good war.
Try starting with the next exercise. Exchange glances with someone you don’t like tomorrow. The next day, force yourself to smile at him. Then share with him minor remarks about the past football match or the weather. On another occasion, do him a minor favor, such as a pencil. You will gradually be able to create a more friendly atmosphere.
Even if all else fails, the attempts themselves will be beneficial in strengthening oxytocin neural pathways. You will train your brain to trust people more, which means that you will become a little happier.
In the animal kingdom, status is of paramount importance. The one who managed to become a leader and win the respect of other members of the pack has a better chance of survival and procreation. Therefore, we rejoice when those around us praise us. At this point, the brain produces serotonin. And if a person feels that he is not noticed or appreciated, he feels unhappy.
How to stimulate the synthesis of serotonin? First, you need to realize that great scientists, writers, artists, inventors are not always recognized during their lifetime. But this does not make their work less valuable. Learn to be proud of your successes and be ready to tell others what you have accomplished. Second, remind yourself often that people rarely say enthusiastic words out loud, even if they admire someone. In this case, all your torments are completely in vain.
Thirdly, today you can be a boss, and tomorrow a subordinate, at work – a performer, and in a family – a leader. Our situation is constantly changing, and it is very important to be able to see the advantages in any situation. When controlling someone, enjoy freedom. When someone else plays the role of leader, be glad that the burden of responsibility has been removed from you.
Bonus: happiness hormones help create new neural connections in the brain. Do you want to form a healthy habit? Connect dopamine, oxytocin, endorphin, and serotonin.
For example, if you’re learning to speak English, praise yourself after each class and take pride in your progress — this will trigger a rush of dopamine and serotonin. Talk to foreigners on Skype or sign up for group courses – this way you stimulate the synthesis of oxytocin. Watch a comedy series with subtitles or listen to British radio while exercising on a treadmill and you will start producing endorphins.
Soon, the learning process itself will begin to trigger a rush of serotonin, oxytocin, endorphin, and dopamine. So the more new habits you create with your hormones of joy, the more often you can experience happiness.
Another way to feel joy is to use old neural pathways. For example, if in childhood you were often praised for your drawings, then surely your love for the fine arts has survived to this day. Add more creativity to your work: independently illustrate slides for presentations or take visual notes when thinking about a problem. Thanks to this trick, you will begin to enjoy even those activities that previously seemed boring and uninteresting.
Based on materials from the book “Hormones of Happiness”