Hormones boost your happiness

Hyderabad: The International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide every year on March 20 and this year's theme is Happier Together, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us.

Life today is busy, and stressful schedules disrupt the hormones balance in our body.

All our feelings and emotions are results of chemical reactions that take place in our body and are responsible for negative emotions like anger and sadness, as well as positive emotions like love and happiness.

There are certain major chemicals in the brain that influence our happiness.

Hormones are essential for every activity of daily living, including the processes of digestion, metabolism, growth, reproduction, and even mood control.

Dopamine is a hormone associated with happiness and serotonin regulates our mood.

When a person is physically attracted to another, an activation of dopamine, serotonin increases and production of oxytocin, a hormone that reduces pain perception and increases the emotional connection we have with the other occurs.

Dopamine

Dopamine is a pleasure hormone that is released when you strive towards a goal.

Dopamine motivates you to work hard so that you can achieve the satisfaction of reaching that goal. It also keeps you mentally alert and helps you focus.

Set daily or monthly goals that give you something to strive towards.

Set exercise goals, since dopamine increases in tandem with serotonin and endorphins when you exercise.

Setting goals will increase the production of dopamine even more.

Eat foods that are rich in protein.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is the love hormone and is released in large amounts during sexual intercourse and childbirth, love, trust, empathy and relationship building but also during other types of affectionate physical contact, like hugging.

Get a massage, relaxes your muscles and the prolonged physical contact triggers the release of oxytocin.

Touching affectionately/hug through an arm around others releases oxytocin.

Serotonin

Serotonin is the key hormone of happiness, it regulates mood, prevents depression, thwarts irritation and makes you happy and sociable.

Spend some time in the sun and that produces Vitamin D, in your body and releases serotonin.

Think about happy things or remember happy memories then brain produces serotonin that makes you happy.

Consume foods like milk, chocolate and corn that contain tryptophan, a substance that body converts to serotonin

Do a low-intensity workout such as aerobics then body produces serotonin.

Promotes and improves sleep, improves self esteem, relieves depression, diminishes craving, prevents agitated depression and worrying.

Endorphins

Endorphins are body's natural painkillers and block any pain.

Endorphins are produced when we perform anaerobic exercises and help us to keep going even after we deplete our oxygen stores.

Exercise to cope with chronic pain

Eat spicy food, your tongue has receptors that react to spice by sending messages to brain and releases endorphins.

Adrenaline

The adrenaline is known as the energy molecule, causing increase in blood pressure and heart rate.

Adrenaline rush' can be triggered when a person is in times of distress or doing things that scare him

Adrenaline rush easily triggers by contracting the muscles and taking short, rapid breaths.

Boosting happy hormones

Spend time with positive people.

Talk about the good things in life and being grateful increases your happiness.

Spending good times with friends and laughing boosts your endorphins.

Exercise boosts most of the happy hormones.

Biking, Dancing, Gardening, Jogging, Playing tennis, and Yoga

Happiness Diet.

Lower the amount of processed food you eat

Eat more veggies, fruits, and whole grains

Opt for grass-fed meat because it contains omega three fatty acids

Foods for energy: Arugula, coffee, walnuts, and blue or red skinned potatoes

Limitations of hormones

Hormones are effective but with limitations

The effects of endorphins are only temporary

Oxytocin builds a relationship, but you can't love and trust everyone you meet

Too much dopamine is unhealthy, since it can cause addictions.

Way forward:

Happiness is an important element in your overall health.

Quit your Facebook for a month, people who left Facebook for a week reported an increase in their average happiness rating according to Happiness Research Institute.

Walking your way to work.

n Looking at the picture of cute animals, getting a good night's sleep.

Planning a vacation to far off places.

Spending time with happy people, doing charitable deeds, and listening to music greatly increases your feeling of happiness.