By: Joxery Mezen Camacho
Our brain is full of many different chemicals that control and impact our nervous system. There are over 100 chemicals in your brain and every single one is important for your brain to function! I am going to talk about four important chemicals in our brain that can lead to an increase in happiness and how to increase them to help you get in a better mood!
Dopamine
The first chemical is dopamine. This chemical is meant to help motivate you to go forward and complete big goals and tasks! Dopamine is a kind of reward chemical and these are just a few ways to increase it:
- Completing a task (big or small)
- Eating food
- Filling in a checkbox
- Celebrating small wins
- Doing self-care activities
Oxytocin
The next chemical is oxytocin. This chemical is what causes humans to be such social creatures! The feelings of happiness it releases during positive social interactions is something that drives us to be social! It also helps fight stress and improve your relationship! Here are a few ways to increase oxytocin:
- Playing with a baby
- Hugging your family and friends
- Playing with a dog
- Giving a compliment
- Opening up emotionally
Serotonin
The next chemical is serotonin. This chemical is known as a mood stabilizer which can also lead to feelings of happiness! A few ways to increase it are:
- Getting bright light from the sun
- Meditating
- Exercise
- Massages
- Spend time in nature
Endorphin
The final chemical is endorphin. This chemical works to relieve pain and stress! A few ways to increase endorphin chemicals are:
- Watching a comedy
- More exercise
- Eating dark chocolate
- Laughing exercises
- Essential oils
These four chemicals are very important and play vital roles in our brain. The ways listed to increase these chemicals are all natural and things anyone can try. Some may work better than others, so give them all a try and see what works the best for you!!
For more information, please visit:
Plaid Line 