A person’s mood can change dramatically several times during the day, and for residents of megacities, a sincere smile and a state of euphoria are generally very rare. Constant busyness, fatigue and sadness accompany most of the country's population almost every day. It is generally accepted that mood depends on music, weather, communication with loved ones, problems at work, constant fatigue and other conditions. In fact, everything is much simpler. “Happiness hormones” produced in the body are responsible for human emotions, and the more of them, the better the mood.
That is, all the “magic” is actually a simple chemical reaction that every person can independently control.
Hormones of joy
The very first discovered substances affecting the human condition were acetylcholine and adrenaline. The history of their discovery began with the invention of morphine, which was originally used as a strong sleeping pill. Neurotransmitters, discovered in 1906, became the first established transmitters of impulses in the nervous system. After this, what a person’s mood depends on was only learned in 1976, when endorphins were discovered. These hormones in the body influence many important processes: memory and mood, immune function, metabolism and general maintenance of the body depend on them. It is endorphins that give a person a feeling of joy after achieving a goal. In high concentrations in the body, the hormone makes a person happy. Its deficiency is often the cause of alcoholism and drug addiction, since one has to look for artificial substitutes for the hormone of happiness, which are addictive and subsequently provoke a failure in the synthesis of real endorphins in the body.
What else does a good mood depend on? In the body, endorphins are synthesized from serotonin and dopamine, which can independently influence human emotions. They relieve nervous tension, improve appetite, normalize sleep and brain activity, relieve pain and even speed up wound healing. That is, happy people really get sick less often, recover faster from injuries and easily endure any stressful situations.
Eat a variety of foods
Neurotransmitters take part in the formation of emotions. Most of them are synthesized in the body not from scratch, but from simpler components (precursor molecules). For example, the precursor molecule to dopamine is the amino acid tyrosine. Tyrosine is formed from another amino acid - phenylalanine. The body is not able to synthesize phenylalanine itself and can only obtain it from food (from proteins). The precursor molecule of melatonin is tryptophan; the body also needs amino acids for its synthesis.
What to do
Make sure your diet is varied. Pay special attention to foods that contain proteins (meat, fish, eggs, beans). After all, it is their body that breaks down amino acids, which are involved in the synthesis of important substances.
Additional influence
In fact, the production of hormones is a complex process that can be disrupted by many minor factors. One of these is dehydration of the body, since with insufficient fluid intake, the distribution of substances in organs and the nervous system is disrupted. Thus, if you drink little water, you can provoke a lack of endorphins in the body, and as a result, you can get depression, sleep disturbances, decreased performance, and even the occurrence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
In other words, the mood of a man or woman largely depends on compliance with the diet. For a good mood and proper metabolism, all you need to do is drink at least 2 liters of clean water every day.
The reason for the disruption of the production of melatonin and serotonin is the presence of free radicals in the body. Nerve tissues are especially sensitive to such substances, so a lack of oxygen in the brain also quickly provokes a deterioration in mood. Prolonged stay in this state causes depression.
Don't overuse coffee
Caffeine lifts your mood and doesn't do it as harshly as sugar. Therefore, a cup of coffee in the morning helps us feel good. However, regular consumption of caffeine can cause nervousness.
What to do
Don't make drinking coffee a habit. If you drink coffee in the morning to wake up, let it be only one cup and not every day (take breaks). And don't drink coffee after lunch, because the caffeine will prevent you from getting a good night's sleep.
Lack of microelements
The body's main defender against free radicals is selenium, so its deficiency is directly related to good health. The microelement is responsible for youth, health and longevity, and, according to recent research, also for mood. What does his change depend on? Scientists believe that this is due to a disruption in the production of antioxidants due to a lack of the substance in the body, which leads to a malfunction in the production and functioning of key neurotransmitters. With sufficient levels of selenium in the body, a person feels more confident, cheerful and less anxious.
The thyroid gland, which largely controls emotions, reacts very sharply to selenium deficiency.
Do you want to know what determines a child’s mood? Check his thyroid gland, because in Russia almost 90% of the population suffers from a lack of iodine and selenium, which provokes anxiety, depression and sudden mood swings.
Zinc, which is an antidepressant and anti-stress mineral, also influences the stabilization of emotions. A deficiency of this element is observed in 60% of people, so many people complain of poor health. Anger, irritability, despondency and depression are not all the feelings that accompany people with a lack of zinc in the body.
Smile
A 2011 study at the University of Michigan found that positive thoughts that make you smile make you feel happier.
The fake smile that some workers are required to keep on their faces, on the contrary, leads to emotional exhaustion. But another 2003 study from Clark University in Massachusetts found that smiling itself triggers positive memories.
So just smile and hold that expression for a while.
Serotonin
The hormone is found in small quantities in all organs, but a large proportion of it in the body is located in the gastrointestinal tract. That is, it is the health and stable functioning of the digestive system that are largely responsible for a good mood. Of course, the mood depends not only on this. Most of the substance is still located in the brain, from where the functioning of cells throughout the body is regulated. A sufficient amount of serotonin is responsible for concentration, sexual desire, memory, performance and social behavior. What does your mood depend on on bad days? Perhaps it is the lack of the hormone in the body that provokes loss of strength, anxiety, absent-mindedness, stress and other negative emotions.
With a sufficient amount of serotonin in a person, a calm, stable reaction occurs to almost any external stimulus. Such people radiate happiness and joy, and are much less likely to get cancer, since the hormone is able to cope with the formation of “bad” cells in the body.
This substance affects appetite, sleep and feelings of pleasure.
Walk wider
It turns out that when you walk, it’s not only where you walk that matters, but also how you do it. Sarah Sondgrass from Florida Atlantic University conducted a study on the type of gait and the sensations associated with it.
One group of people was given the task of walking with long strides, waving their arms and holding their heads high, the second was given the task of walking in small steps with their hands clasped and their eyes downcast.
Finally, participants were asked how they felt during the experiment. It turned out that people from the first group felt much more confident and happier.
When going out for a walk, even under the weight of your problems, do not forget how to walk.
How to cheer up
You can get serotonin from food, but not in its pure form. High concentrations of tryptophan are found in bananas, chocolate, figs and dates. This amino acid is the building material from which the body receives the hormone serotonin, which is beneficial for well-being. Interestingly, raising your mood is not directly proportional to the amount eaten, since the process of releasing the hormone is quite complex. You can only hope for an immediate positive result, but it’s better to just stay in shape and eat the right foods regularly.
A more accessible way to increase serotonin levels is to stay in sunlight.
It turns out that a person’s mood really depends on the weather. Bright sunlight quickly drives away depressive thoughts, and the result can be obtained even with artificial lighting. It is enough to add several light sources in the room and your mood will noticeably improve.
The automatic appearance of feelings of guilt or shame occurs with regular slouching. A bent back indicates dissatisfaction and fatigue, so serotonin is produced reluctantly. To improve your mood completely free of charge, all you need to do is control your posture. A straight back will not only help the body produce hormones, but also increase self-esteem.
What else does your mood depend on? Many athletes feel euphoric after training and associate this with their own achievement of certain goals. In fact, any physical activity helps to increase the production of serotonin, and achieving a certain goal provokes an even greater surge of the hormone as a reward to the body. Thus, for a good mood, it is enough to devote at least half an hour a day to physical exercise. If you don’t have time for this, you can simply walk instead of traveling in stuffy public transport. It is important to supplement all this with good sleep, since it is when the brain is resting that the greatest production of “happiness hormones” occurs during the day.
Listening to your favorite music, doing what you love and other pleasant moments in life only improve your well-being. It is important to remember that the production of serotonin accelerates in direct proportion to the presence of a good mood, therefore, to improve your mood in the future, you need to have a positive attitude towards everything in the present.
Determine the importance of the problem
I very often become so immersed in the experience of a problem that it obscures all the colors around me. Why make everything so difficult for yourself?
Therefore, I took the advice of a psychologist and now I do this:
- Analyzing how much my future life depends on today's problem? It may be important now, but in a week, a year, I won’t even remember what excited me so much. So is it worth worrying so much now? In the end, everything passes, and this too will pass.
- Now we abstract ourselves from the situation and look at it from the outside - here is the problem, but here are other aspects of life. Is it really impossible to find more important matters in it?
- The most effective way for me to switch moods is work. Moreover, the work is interesting, into which I completely immerse myself with all my negative thoughts. At this moment, I forget that my soul is sour - I simply have no time to waste time on some kind of garbage (pardon the expression). Of course, when you emerge from it, it may cover you again, but the wave will be smaller and easier to cope with.
- Another distraction is work, but rather physical work. Previously, before the era of automatic washing machines, this was washing. When you do this, all the anger, all the negativity goes into energy, which you spend on useful things. Or wash the windows, vacuum, wash the floors, finally. By the way, this has great benefits, it will calm your nerves and put things in order in your apartment. Now I prefer ironing. This really calms me down.
- Walk. Moreover, it is long-term and if possible, it is better in the forest. When we live in the country, there are no problems with this - the forest is a few meters away. I noticed that at first I walk very quickly, almost running, but as I calm down, my step slows down, my breathing calms down, my thoughts come into order.
- Various techniques for switching thoughts also help. I use this one most often—I simply throw a negative thought out the window. But the most important thing about this technique is that you need to throw it away immediately, before it has time to take hold in your head.
We talked about methods that help me switch from negativity and reduce its concentration. Now let's look at
Dopamine
Although serotonin actively influences our emotions, our mood is not only influenced by the weather. The hormone dopamine makes people optimists, pioneers and heroes. Its release into the body is provoked by the anticipation of receiving a reward or a certain result of one’s activity. Delight, sincere joy and the desire to experience this feeling again as soon as possible - that’s what dopamine is. It is he who determines your favorite habits, dishes, activities and places you want to go to again. The hormone also regulates the sleep cycle, memory, thinking and is released into the body in stressful situations to alleviate shock, pain or fear.
A lack of the substance in a person is manifested by chronic fatigue, obesity, decreased sexual desire and despondency. To help the body obtain the hormone in sufficient quantities, you need to eat chocolate and not neglect intimacy with your partner.
Sex really does lift your spirits.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
In fact, it could be a notebook, a note, or a regular document in which you write down what you are grateful for.
A study published in the Journal of Happiness proved that there is a direct link between gratitude and feelings of satisfaction and happiness.
Participants in this experiment wrote thank-you letters for three weeks, listing everything they were grateful for in life. Every week the letters became longer and people felt more satisfied with their lives.
Endorphins
Only a person whose endorphin levels are normal feels absolutely happy, full of strength and energy and an optimist. These biological compounds not only lift your mood, but also ensure the conduction of all nerve impulses, which accelerates the enjoyment of all the “hormones of happiness.” What does your mood depend on if today is the worst day, and you yourself are the most unhappy of all people? Most likely, the matter is a lack of endorphin in the body. This substance is very similar in formula to most narcotic substances, and has a similar effect on humans. The feeling of euphoria and happiness gives a person lightness and carelessness. In addition, hormones have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects, which speeds up recovery and alleviates the course of any illness.
I wonder what determines your mood during pregnancy? Just from the level of this substance in the blood. During pregnancy, the amount of endorphins in the body increases sharply, so many find it difficult to cope with sudden mood swings. During childbirth, the hormone is abruptly removed from the body, which often provokes postpartum depression and neuroses. Scientists believe that disruption of the synthesis of this substance is the cause of chronic pain syndromes.
Find something to laugh about
Laughter has positive effects in the short and long term.
When you laugh, the consumption of oxygen-saturated air increases, the work of the heart, lungs, and muscles is stimulated, and the amount of endorphins increases. Laughter helps fight stress and provides a calm, relaxed state.
In the long term, laughter improves the immune system and reduces pain, helps cope with difficult situations and improves mood, eliminating apathy.
Adrenalin
Energy, concentration and good mood provide a person with the right amount of adrenaline in the body. In high concentrations, the hormone causes fear and anger, so you should be careful with stimulating its production. A sufficient amount of the substance makes a person energetic, cheerful and allows you to always remain in good shape.
If you feel melancholy and despondency, you can try extreme entertainment, which will definitely help raise the level of adrenaline in your blood.
Learn to manage stress
Have you noticed that you start to get very nervous if you oversleep your alarm clock in the morning and are late for work or school? Does it happen that you feel a strong heartbeat before a meeting with management? This is due to our “quick reactions”. Evolution has built into us a self-defense mechanism that should help us in a dangerous situation. For example, when an ancient man encountered a predatory animal, he had to react with lightning speed and run away at maximum speed.
To quickly mobilize all the body's resources, the adrenal glands secrete adrenaline, and the blood instantly carries it throughout the body. You feel hot, a feeling of anxiety, nervousness and restlessness appears, muscle tone increases, your heart rate increases - all this is the result of adrenaline. You are ready to rush into battle.
Female hormones
A woman’s mood depends not only on the general conditions listed above. Representatives of the fairer sex have their own hormones that control certain processes in the body, including emotions. Estrogen is a female hormone that makes her attractive, young and sociable. The substance affects menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, so in such situations it is produced in huge quantities and often provokes sudden mood swings.
If you need to increase the level of the hormone in your blood, you can drink herbal tea from rose hips, strawberries and raspberries every day, or just have sex. During sexual intercourse, a woman produces large doses of estrogen, which prolongs her youth.
What else does the mood of the fair sex depend on? Another hormone, oxytocin, also has an active effect on a woman’s mood. In the male body it is quickly suppressed by testosterone, so it has no effect, but in women it causes a manifestation of tenderness and the need for affection. Uninhibited beauties have an increased amount of this substance in their bodies. Sex and gentle touch help develop it. Additionally, the hormone protects women from stress and illness.
Plan your vacation
One study by Dutch scientists conducted in 2010 showed that when going on vacation, even two months in advance, people feel happier.
If you don’t have a vacation, think about the New Year holidays and subsequent holidays - it’s also nice.
More than 1,500 Dutch adults participated in the experiment, which lasted 4 months, about 1,000 of whom were going on vacation.
It turned out that two months before a planned vacation, a person’s mood improves. He begins to plan a vacation, which provides many pleasant thoughts, and looks forward to a great time. His mood increases as he approaches date X.
Advice from psychologists
You can significantly improve your mood for the next few hours simply by exercising. Physical activity helps not only the production of serotonin, but also endorphins. Psychologists assure that any activity related to the pleasure of achieving a goal helps to stabilize good health. That is why they advise having a favorite hobby, the positive emotions from which will regularly raise the level of “happiness hormones” in the body. In reality, our mood does not depend on the weather, but on how we relate to it. The same goes for music, surrounding people, events and everything else. To be happy, you just need to learn to enjoy the little things, and not strive for unattainable heights.
Also, the best cures for all diseases are laughter and sex, only separately. Watching your favorite comedies will definitely increase your endorphin levels, and being close to your loved one will have a positive effect not only on your mood, but also on your health.
What are emotions and where do they come from?
To understand how to learn to manage emotions, you need to realize one important thing about them:
The emotions you experience are created by you. Therefore, you are responsible for your emotions.
Yes exactly. If you messed up in a fit of aggression or couldn’t control your panic and failed the exam, it’s because of the emotions you created. Therefore, keeping emotions under control is everyone’s personal responsibility.
I learned about this from a TED talk by Lisa Feldman Barrett, a psychology professor at Northeastern University in Boston. What are emotions?
Emotions are a type of assumption your brain makes based on previous experiences. This is exactly how the brain works - it sees part of the information and fills in the missing details. This way, you can more quickly ingest data and decide what to do with it. For example:
- you don’t need to finish reading the phrase “Measure seven times, one ...” to understand what the word should be there;
- you can smell the familiar smell of your favorite cookies and literally feel what it tastes like, even your stomach will growl;
- When you see a dog's tail sticking out from around the corner, you will immediately understand that there is a dog there.
It's the same with emotions. When a violent troublemaker spots a police car, his pulse quickens and he becomes anxious. This assumption of the brain is based on its previous experience. Therefore, law-abiding citizens, when they see the police, can, on the contrary, experience a feeling of calm and security.
Uncontrolled emotions can prevent you from pulling yourself together or making the right decision at the most crucial moment. In some cases, it can even negatively affect your health. But the beauty is that you can control your emotions! And below we will look at exactly how you can control your emotions.
Take a nap
An experiment by Dr. Matthew Walker proved that without the right amount of sleep, people become more pessimistic and react more to negative stimuli.
The experiment involved sleep-deprived students who had to remember a series of words. They remembered an 81% percentage of words with a negative connotation, such as cancer. And remembering another list of words, with a positive connotation, they were able to name only 41% of the words.
This may be because negative stimuli are processed in the amygdala, while positive and neutral stimuli are processed in the hippocampus.
Lack of sleep has a stronger impact on the hippocampus than on the amygdala, so people who don't get enough sleep are quicker to forget good events and more likely to remember bad ones.
Menopause
Research from Menopause and Mood Disorders shows that during menopause, women are much more likely to experience anxiety, insomnia, symptoms of depression and mood changes.
The reasons lie in changes in hormonal levels, lack of support during difficult periods, and poor health. One factor is enough to influence the emotional state.
What to do
Before starting treatment, it is good to know what causes the disorder. A gynecologist will help determine the exact cause.
If the changes are caused by changes in hormonal levels, hormonal therapy will correct Menopause and Mood Disorders. And increased anxiety and symptoms of depression can be relieved with antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.
If the doctor has not found any serious causes, try to improve your quality of life. Avoid stress, follow a sleep and rest schedule, exercise, try meditation.
Enjoy a cup of tea
Neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, author of Hardwiring Happiness, argues that noticing and focusing on pleasant little things is a way to “train” the brain to feel happiness.
10 seconds of a beautiful view outside the window, 20 seconds of pleasure from tea and chocolate, and you have already tuned your brain to good stimuli.
In general, we are accustomed to reacting much more strongly to negative stimuli than to positive ones. This is explained by the desire to ensure security. However, now such attitudes “from the Stone Age” do not so much help you survive as they prevent you from feeling happy.
And you can completely change the habit of concentrating on bad events by “reconfiguring” your brain to other stimuli - positive ones. To do this, you need to pay attention to positive events, happiness and pleasure.
