20+ Ways to Boost Your Happy Hormones
What’s the science behind happiness? We aren’t sure yet, but it’s looking more and more like both the body and the mind have a say.
A lot of things can trigger the release of biochemicals in our brain that have an impact on our moods, from diet and exercise to pictures of baby alpacas. Heck, even our thoughts can affect our emotional biochemistry.
That means that there are a lot of things you can do to improve your mood right now.
Science has narrowed down a few key players, sometimes called our “happy hormones.” And while we may not understand their mechanisms completely, we’re always discovering new ways to give them a natural boost.
This list isn’t a cure for depression; it’s more about the little things you can do every day to boost your happiness in the moment.
But over time, the brain starts to look out, savor, and remember good times and moments of pleasure more often, meaning little moments could add up to an overall happier you.
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The 4 Happy Hormones — and How to Boost Them
1. DOPAMINE
Imagine you’re in the shoes of a hunter-gatherer ancestor. You’re nearly starving and in search of food when you come across a grove of fruit trees. As you bite into a ripe, juicy piece of fruit, the delicious taste is accompanied by a flood of dopamine in your brain.
The pleasure serves as a reward and reinforcement for learning: “This stuff is good for you — don’t forget where you found it!” And the thought of that delicious reward can motivate you to seek it out again.
Dopamine is key to learning, motivation, novelty, pleasure, and reward. It’s often about the “aha!” moments or the satisfaction of solving a riddle.
Try out these ways to boost dopamine:
Smile
Even a fake smile can trigger a cascade of brain chemicals to release and make you feel better. This shouldn’t be confused with masking or faking emotions for the sake of others. Go ahead, try a sweet smile or a maniacal grin.
Give yourself something to look forward to
Although we do get a dopamine boost when we get a reward or accomplish a goal, we actually get even more dopamine from anticipating that reward. You can hack this yourself by setting specific goals, and even better if you attach a reward to that goal.
Take up a new hobby
Challenging your brain helps get the dopamine flowing. Your brain is designed to figure stuff out, and when it does, it gets a reward. Get a new hobby, learn a new skill, solve a puzzle, or play a game!
Celebrate your little wins
Make sure to recognize not just your big accomplishments but your little wins along the way, no matter how seemingly small. Doing so will tap into that mood-boosting reward system that will help you see your goals through.
Did you decide that (and commit to) drinking just one glass of wine at your friend's wedding? High-five! (Read more about Mindful Drinking here on the blog.) Wake up 30 minutes early 3 days in a row to work on that article you want to pitch, putting you one step closer to your goal of becoming a journalist? Take pride in this – write about it in your journal, tell people, smile, and recognize your efforts. (Learn 14 habits to level up your productivity here on the blog.)
2. SEROTONIN
Serotonin does a lot of things in the body, from regulating mood to helping you sleep to aiding digestion and even modulating your nausea response.
Although most people probably associate serotonin with the brain, 95 percent of serotonin is actually produced in the gut.
You’ve probably heard of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants that can help relieve depression in some people. The relationship between your mood and serotonin levels is complex, but whether you’re depressed or not, boosting serotonin might just help your mood.
Here are a few tips to try:
Check your diet
You can’t get serotonin directly from food, but you can eat things with tryptophan — an amino acid found in protein-rich foods — which gets converted into serotonin in the brain.
Counterintuitively, although tryptophan comes from protein, too much protein makes it harder for tryptophan to make it to the brain, so pair tryptophan-rich foods with a good dose of carbs.
Get a massage
Getting a good rub down, whether a full-body treatment from a massage therapist or a 15-minute back rub from your partner, can stimulate serotonin. And in addition to boosting happy hormones, massage can also help reduce the bad ones — namely cortisol, the hormone released when we’re under stress.
Practice mood induction
Yes, science has certified that looking at cute puppies on the internet can make you feel better. It's a form of mood induction, a method of intentionally promoting happy thoughts by imagining positive events you've previously experienced or listening to upbeat, positive music, for example. And puppies. Always puppy pictures.
Go for a walk in nature
Mother nature is the ultimate – and original – mood stabilizer. Take in the sky, smell the fragrant flora of the forest or the salt of the ocean, listen to the lively birdsong, and just breath.
3. OXYTOCIN
Often called the “love hormone” or “cuddle hormone,” oxytocin appears to play a role in relationships, sex, childbirth, and bonding.
Oxytocin plays a critical role in childbirth, as it helps induce labor, aids with lactation, and generally promotes bonding between mother and infant. It’s related to romantic and sexual activity like hugging, kissing, and orgasm, but also platonic bonding and friendship, as well.
Oxytocin isn’t a magic love potion — it won’t make you fall in love with the next person you see — but it can stir up positive emotions and promote connectivity, both to others and yourself.
Here are some ways to boost oxytocin:
Enjoy a cuddle session
Cuddle with your baby... or your fur babies. Bonding need not be limited to human companions. Our furry friends need love, too!
Roll out (and get on) your yoga mat
Yoga is already well-known for its wellness benefits. But experiments have shown that yoga can increase oxytocin.
Cook and eat with loved ones
Humans are social animals, and coming together to prepare and sharing meals together is a practice as old as time. Research in chimpanzees shows that it may increase oxytocin, and it’s likely it happens with humans, too.
Give someone a compliment
No hollow compliments here (not that you'd do that). You need to make your works really meaningful for this to work. An authentic, from-the-heart compliment will lift the other person up — both strangers and loved ones – and yourself. Check on my post on the impact of expressing gratitude toward others here.
3. ENDORPHINS
You’ve probably heard of the role of endorphins exercise. If you’ve ever heard of or experienced a “runner’s high,” that’s generally the work of endorphins. They work as the body’s natural pain killer and produce a euphoric, opiate-esque feeling.
Endorphins are released in the brain in response to injury, pain, or stress, but they also modulate pleasure at the same time.
Luckily, running a marathon isn’t the only way to trigger endorphin release. Check out these natural ways to get the endorphins flowing.
Move your body
If running a marathon isn't your jam, do something else that gets your body moving and your heart rate up. Sign up for a dance class, check out barre, get a bike (or an exercise bike), go for hike. Whatever sounds good!
Enjoy some good chocolate and wine
Pick your preference, or pair 'em up. Each has been shown to promote feelings of wellbeing that might be related to the release of endorphins. Of course, don’t go overboard — these indulgences are best enjoyed in moderation.
Laugh
Research has shown that laughing with friends can trigger the release of feel-good hormones like endorphins. Next time you’re feeling down, try a group movie night!
Make an acupuncture appointment
Acupuncture is shown to improve things like chronic pain, insomnia, and PMS, and there’s evidence showing this traditional Chinese medicine technique can increase endorphins, too.
Happy Hormones Are Better Together
Although the tips above describe some of the specific benefits of each of the happy hormones, each of them rarely if ever works alone. Most of the time, the happy hormones (along with a lot of other molecules) work synergistically as a team to make you feel better.
So why boost one when you can boost them all? Try these tips to boost most if not all of the happy hormones at the same time:
Combine a healthy diet with physical activity
This is a no-brainer, because it affects the way everything else functions, too.
Meditate
Science has shown meditation improves stress, anxiety, and more, and best of all it’s accessible anywhere!
Have sex
Endorphins and oxytocin star here, but you probably already knew that sex and orgasms can be a good thing, right?
Listen to music
Whether listening to or especially playing/performing music stimulates your creative juices
Find the light
Bright, natural sunlight, not to mention nature in general, is a balm for the senses and your brain.
None of these 18 things is likely to cure the blues right away, but the good can add up quickly. It’s about the little wins, and cultivating the conditions that lead to a happier you.
I hope this post has inspired you! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.