Think of something that brings you happiness. Is it your favorite ice cream? How about the feeling of warm sheets straight from the dryer? Or squeezing the cutest puppy you’ve ever seen? Now imagine, you’re only interested in enjoying those things once in your life.
A single event or experience can create a feeling of joy, but something drives us to continue to seek it. Otherwise, we would be content to only experience it once in our life. Biology is at the core of the drive for pleasure, in almost every species on Earth. Sometimes we feel we’re at life’s mercy. As if our emotions are out of our control. But what if I told you we can program our brains to deliver happiness regularly, without much work from us? It all starts with the brain.
The reward center of the brain is designed to trigger repeat behaviors. A habit is an action or behavior centered on a craving set in motion by a trigger and anchored by a reward. The reward keeps the cycle going. The brain isn’t necessarily our friend, but if we understand it, we can turn it into an ally. The reward center of the brain triggers the production of biochemicals that say do it again. The “it” can be running a marathon or eating a gallon of ice cream. Unfortunately, the brain doesn’t distinguish if the action serves us or not.
Let’s explore how biochemicals work and how you can take control of your brain and choose more happiness in your life. There are four main biochemicals associated with happiness. They are dopamine, endorphin, oxytocin, and serotonin. The reward center of the brain uses these chemicals to encourage you to repeat behaviors that feel good.
Dopamine – You Got This
Dopamine is released when you are just in sight of a goal. For example, if you’re running a marathon, you feel a rush as the finish line comes into view. The best display of a dopamine rush is the touchdown dance. Scientists believe that dopamine was essential to encourage hunting for food. This isn’t unique to humans, by the way. The neurotransmitter tells the brain to keep reaching for goals regardless of being tired because when the goal is achieved, the reward feels so good.
When prehistoric humans went hunting for food and got a kill, the release of dopamine is what drove them to do it again. The more you accomplish, the more addicted to dopamine you become. This hormone is beneficial for staying on track with exercise or weight loss goals. The best way to trigger it is to celebrate.
When you finish a workout or anything healthy, you should take a few seconds to celebrate the win. The dopamine release will signal the brain to repeat the behavior. The converse is also true. If you fail, don’t dwell on the failure – that signals the brain to fail again. In the event of failure, simply acknowledge it, course correct and move on.
Endorphin – Runner’s High
Have you ever heard of runner’s high? If not, here’s the gist. After a certain amount of time, a runner begins to feel euphoric, almost high. That is our good friend, endorphin. That’s good news. The not-so-good news is that you have to experience physical pain to release endorphins. It seems pretty unfair. Endorphin is a little tricky but helpful nonetheless.
This neurotransmitter is designed to ease the sensation of pain temporarily in order to focus and escape what is causing the pain or danger. It’s the body’s natural morphine. Also called nature’s euthanasia, endorphin is meant to make unbearable pain bearable. If you are unable to escape the pain, the endorphin acts as a mask until the pain stimulant is over, most likely resulting in death. Yikes!
Endorphins can also be released by laughing or crying. When you laugh so hard you cry, you confuse the neurotransmitter, and you may get an extra dose of endorphin. The body registers laughter as physical distress. This is why laughter is so good for us. The trick is, you have to really laugh. Faking it doesn’t release endorphin because the body knows better. Watch something funny or spend time with a humorous friend when you need to dull your pain.
Oxytocin – The Hug Hormone
Do you remember the last time you got the warm fuzzies for someone? You connected with them and wanted to see them again. This doesn’t have to be romantic, it can be pure friendship. You had a feeling of trust or admiration for them. This is oxytocin at work. The purpose of oxytocin is to encourage you to seek out connections and groups.
Oxytocin causes animals to live in herds or groups. When a group member can’t be seen by the others, it releases cortisol causing stress. When the missing member returns, oxytocin is released. It stands to reason that we are happiest when we are around others. Yes, you too introverts. Touch can also stimulate the production of oxytocin. The cool thing about this biochemical is it’s also necessary for trust and safety, which is vital for survival. When part of the group doesn’t trust, they are likely to be shunned by the group. If you find yourself a bit of an outsider, ask yourself if you trust the others in the group. If not, this may explain why oxytocin hasn’t worked its magic on you yet. But when you’re feeling down, connecting with someone else and having a good laugh will get you moving again.
Serotonin – R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Find Out What It Means To Me
You know that sensation you get when others look up to you or come to you for guidance? That is serotonin. This biochemical is all about seeking respect from those around us. Not to be confused with approval. Serotonin is designed to help you fit into a group by being someone that others can rely on. By not acting in a way to get cast out of the group, we are ensuring our survival. It also drives us to seek security and safety. That security or safety can be in the form of food, money, family, friends, and so on. The more of it we have, the more of it we want.
A lack of serotonin can lead to clinical depression, not to be confused with deep sadness or grief caused by an unfortunate life event. An excellent way to keep your serotonin levels up is to get plenty of sleep, exercise, and feed your body right. The downside to serotonin is this is the same biochemical that is released if we overeat or emotionally eat. That is the reason we feel compelled to eat when we feel sad or anxious.
The Happiness Hack Simplified
While these biochemicals don’t necessarily create happiness, they do reward us for the moments that make us happy, leading us to want more.
Now that you know the secret, you can use this information to help program your brain. In short:
- When you need more dopamine complete a task or goal then celebrate;
- To get more endorphin, you need to laugh genuinely;
- For oxytocin hug someone, hang out with a group, or call a friend;
- If you need a sense of security or safety, do something to get your resources in order, such as balance your checkbook or fill the fridge with healthy food.
We have more control over our brains than we understand. By performing these simple tasks, the reward center of the brain will help us program the desire for happiness.
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