This is the second part of ‘Happiness Hormones’. Summer is here! YAAAAAYYYYY! So how do we reclaim our fizz & sparkle? By boosting our ‘happy hormones’ of course.

Last month we examined the role of happy hormones in the body - Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins (DOSE) and took a close look at Serotonin and Dopamine. Now we’ll examine the other two ‘happy hormones’, Oxytocin & Endorphins and their role in the body.

Just to recap, our bodies and brains produce a cascade of hormones, that keep our systems in check. We are focussing specifically on the ‘happy hormones’ - dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins.  We release these hormones when we laugh, love, hug, watch a feel good or funny movie or experience feelings of sheer happiness & joy, and by doing so they are also releasing tension, alleviating stress,  soothing mental anguish and even putting out some pain flares in the body. So if you're feeling a bit blue, fatigued, worn out, or the batteries are flat, that's your bodies way of saying “I need a boost of my DOSE hormones please”.

So here's how you can recharge your ‘happy hormones’ and get them humming along with your body & mind? Starting with the LURVE hormone, Oxytocin.

Oxytocin - The love hormone

The love (also known as bonding) hormone, Oxytocin is produced when you're physically affectionate with someone (hugging, cuddling, kissing etc) and is produced in bucket-loads during childbirth and breastfeeding. This wonder hormone is a natural tranquilliser, helping us feel relaxed and content and thus contributing to overall psychological stability and well-being. You know when you're running low in oxytocin when you have low self esteem or feel a bit disconnected from others, and low levels of oxytocin will contribute to rising cortisol levels (stress hormone) leading to feelings of anxiety and being unsettled. This is one of the easiest hormones to boost as it only takes a simple hug or even a random act of kindness.

Here some other ways to help your body produce oxytocin.

• Share time with loved ones! Spending time with people you love (friends and family) and telling them how much you care about them or love them are two ways you can increase oxytocin production and fortify the bonds between you. Having meaningful conversations, hugging them, being close and simply being in each others company go a long way to increasing oxytocin levels. Think about a time when you hadn't seen a loved family member or a best friend in ages then you see each other again, the hugging, excitement and happiness are all little oxytocin producing factories. Hugging for 30 seconds has been proven to alleviate stress and beat burnout, and a lingering cuddle releases this bonding hormone which is beneficial in slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and improving your mood.
• Go to your happy place with music: listening to music you enjoy is another way to make us feel happy and boost oxytocin levels, so crank up the volume and melt into the music for a natural rush.
• Break bread with someone you care about! Food is the glue that binds the social fabric together and when we share food with loved ones and break bread together, oxytocin levels rise, especially meals prepared with love for loved ones, this rush of pleasure at seeing the delight and enjoyment is oxytocin at work. It’s a double whammy, producing the food and then eating the food you love can produce a cascade of oxytocin flooding the body & brain. When we care and share we feel better for it. Which leads me to the last point.
• Random acts of kindness: Selfless behaviour produces a flood of oxytocin. Offering to help a little old lady cross the street, donate money/goods to charity, send a handwritten card, help with animal charities, or volunteer your time & skills; when we do something nice or a good deed or help others with no expectations, this is the best way to make you and someone else happy.  What about when we witness a good deed being done? Does this make us feel better and inspire us to do good too? You bet! And according to research by psychological scientists Simone Schnall, Jean Roper and Daniel M.T.Fessler, (Schnal, Roper and Fessler, 2010)? we all experience that gushing warm and fuzzy feeling of positive emotions. However this latest research published in the journal ‘Psychological Science’ has uncovered that not only is our mood elevated (and we feel soft and gooey) but when we witness kindness, we too act with altruism. So pay it forward by doing good and feeling good too.

Endorphins - The natural pain relievers

Endorphins are the mighty pain relievers and are produced in response to discomfort, pain, a workout, childbirth and stress. You know you're running low on endorphins when you experience aches and pains, mood swings, depression or anxiety. Endorphins are easy to produce. Enjoying yourself by simply experiencing the little pleasures in life and doing the things you love; eating dark chocolate, drinking a glass of wine, laughing, cooking, cuddling a pet, whatever brings you joy will boost endorphin production.

So go out there, do good, be happy, spread the love and feel awesome while doing it.

We can provide better health & wellbeing support to help find the best balance for your body. So if you want good quality sleep, want to feel better or just want to talk to someone, simply pop in to, or call, VaVa Complementary Health and Wellness, and let us take care of you.

Namaste, Ashlí

References

• Schnal, S. l, Roper, J. and Fessler, D. M. T. (2010) ‘Elevation Leads to Altruistic Behavior’, Psychological Science, Vol 21(Issue 3). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0956797609359882.

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