Hormones of happiness serotonin and dopamine. How to maintain dopamine and serotonin levels

Dopamine and serotonin, popularly known as “pleasure hormones,” are substances that can significantly affect a person’s mood and well-being. Naturally, people are concerned about the question of how to influence their production, thereby improving the quality of their lives.

"Hormones of happiness"

Endorphins, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin are neurotransmitters that are produced by the hypothalamus. All neurotransmitters can be divided into three groups. For a better perception of the information presented in a table.

Neurotransmitters have a tremendous effect on humans, not only affecting mood, but also adapting the body to circumstances.

Before finding out whether it is possible to influence the number of certain neurotransmitters, it is necessary to consider two substances that play a direct role in shaping a person’s mood: dopamine and serotonin.

Dopamine

Dopamine is called the hormone of pleasure, although the definition of “motivation hormone” is more accurate for this neurotransmitter.

But human motivation is directly related to pleasure. The desire to start one or another activity depends on how much this activity is associated with pleasure for a particular person. And the stronger the alleged enjoyment of the activity or its result, the stronger the incentive to engage in this activity.

Consider the effect of dopamine on the human psyche with a simple example. Exercising may not be a source of pleasure for a person, but improving their appearance and anticipation from contemplating their body or gaining approval from others will contribute to the production of dopamine. So there is a motivation for any activity.

Serotonin

The effect of serotonin on the body is not limited to an increase in mood. Using it you can:

• improve cognitive abilities, that is, the ability to perceive, analyze and remember information;
• lower the pain threshold;
• increase muscle tone;
• correctly perceive and experience stressful situations.

Serotonin causes a person to feel euphoric, joyful, enjoyable. With a lack of this neurotransmitter, you can feel apathy and irritability.

Based on this, it may seem that the task of a person who wants to constantly be in a good mood and a state of high motivation is to maintain a high level of these neurotransmitters. However, dopamine and serotonin are antagonists.

Antagonism of neurotransmitters

In simple terms, dopamine causes a desire to achieve pleasure, and serotonin becomes the chemical cause of the sensation of pleasure itself. But a person who is in a blissful state of euphoria cannot have motivation to achieve a goal that can increase his mood, just as a well-fed person will not feel like sitting down at the dinner table.

When dopamine rises, serotonin levels drop. A person does not feel pleasure, he is surrounded by a sense of anxiety, he receives powerful motivation for active actions aimed at achieving the desired. After the goal is achieved, the concentration of serotonin in the blood will increase , and the amount of dopamine, on the contrary, will decrease, freeing the person from the desire to continue active work and giving him the opportunity to enjoy the result.

But it is important that the interaction of dopamine and serotonin does not work in the opposite direction: if dopamine falls, serotonin does not increase. For example, if in the process of achieving a goal a person encounters insurmountable obstacles, his dopamine will decrease, and the desire to move towards the goal will disappear. But since serotonin will remain the same, feelings of happiness will not arise. On the contrary, a person’s mood will decrease, and, speaking the language of psychology, frustration will arise.

How to increase serotonin?

Given the above, it can be concluded how to produce serotonin and dopamine. Acting on serotonin directly is problematic, but you can influence the increase in dopamine by the power of consciousness.

For this, it is necessary to set a goal, the achievement of which will bring a feeling of strong satisfaction. It is important that the goal is achievable, and in the process of moving towards it, the person does not encounter serious obstacles that level the desire to continue activities.

As small goals are achieved, the motivation for activity will grow, and a person will be able to enthusiastically take on more complex tasks that require overcoming obstacles.

Meaning of will

Of course, one cannot perceive a person’s mood solely as the work of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. With a high level of dopamine, a person is able to achieve his goal faster and easier, and as a result - to raise the level of serotonin.

But the volitional factor is of great importance. Overcoming apathy with a low level of dopamine and continuing activity, a person is able to get a result that not only causes an increase in serotonin production, but also forms a pattern of volitional behavior.

The good news for those who can’t boast of iron will is that the will works great when a person doesn’t follow the reduced mood over and over, but continues his activity, convincing himself with logical arguments. The more trained a person’s will is, the easier it is for him to easily take on tasks that seem boring or difficult to him. Thus, a person gets the opportunity to maintain the hormones serotonin and dopamine at the level necessary for a good sense of self.

Neurotransmitters and Nutrition

There is information according to which the level of neurotransmitters can be influenced by certain products. The correlation between mood and food does exist, and it is based on the concentration of tryptophan amino acids in the blood.

It can either come ready-made with food, or be synthesized in the body when glucose enters. Biochemically, this process is as follows: after eating foods rich in glucose, insulin is released into the bloodstream, which is responsible for the assimilation of the latter. This entails the breakdown of protein in the body, which, in turn, provokes the production of tryptophan.

That is why many people who are in the grip of a bad mood, feel a desire to eat sweet food.

Tryptophan Products

In order to know how to increase serotonin and dopamine through nutrition, you need to remember which foods contain the highest amounts of tryptophan.

All products are listed in gradation order depending on the tryptophan content.

You can also eat any sweets , such as bananas or ice cream. However, it should be remembered that, filling the diet with dishes that affect the level of serotonin and dopamine, you need to make a choice in favor of healthy foods, as well as maintain the optimal level of daily caloric value and balance in proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Otherwise, there is a risk of encountering food addiction , when the increase in mood will directly depend on the use of certain dishes.

Other ways to boost your mood

Food is not the only way to increase the level of neurotransmitters responsible for mood and motivation. There are several ways that you should use regularly to not only feel happier, but also to reduce anxiety, increase vitality and performance:

• playing sports - from a simple walk to intense power loads;
• massage, including self-massage:
• cold - hardening has long been used as an alternative way to treat neurosis;
• the sun - staying in the open sun is guaranteed to cheer you up;
• sex and love - during attachment to a person dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin are produced, while the latter is responsible for the feeling of strong emotional closeness that causes a feeling of acute pleasure in every person;
• art - even watching a movie and listening to audio recordings affect the concentration of neurotransmitters.

In order to maintain a stable high level of mood, it is important to find for yourself ways to quickly relieve tension, anxiety and depression. Walking with friends, watching a comedy / comedy, or chatting with loved ones has a proven ability to influence the level of serotonin in the body.

In addition, it is important to eliminate factors that impede the increase in the concentration of neurotransmitters. These include chronic diseases, stress, starvation.

Thus, knowing what dopamine, serotonin, endorphin is and what effect they have on the quality of our life, you can control your mood and influence the level of motivation when achieving certain goals.