Hacking Into Your Happy Chemicals: Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphins and Oxytocin.

Image Credit: Pixabay.

We might not have a money tree, but we can have a happiness tree. Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins are the quartet responsible for our happiness. Many events can trigger these neurotransmitters, but rather than being in the passenger seat, there are ways we can intentionally cause them to flow.

Being in a positive state has significant impact on our motivation, productivity, and wellbeing. No sane person would be opposed to having higher levels in those areas.

Here are some simple ways to hack into our positive neurochemicals:

Dopamine

Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and gives a surge of reinforcing pleasure when achieving them. Procrastination, self-doubt, and lack of enthusiasm are linked with low levels of dopamine. Studies on rats showed those with low levels of dopamine always opted for an easy option and less food; those with higher levels exerted the effort needed to receive twice the amount of food.

Break big goals down into little pieces -- rather than only allowing our brains to celebrate when we've hit the finish line, we can create a series of little finish lines which releases dopamine. And it's crucial to actually celebrate -- buy a bottle of wine, or head to your favorite restaurant whenever you meet a small goal.

Instead of being left with a dopamine hangover, create new goals before achieving your current one. That ensures a continual flow for experiencing dopamine. As an employer and leader, recognizing the accomplishments of your team, e.g. sending them an email, or giving a bonus, will allow them to have a dopamine hit and increase future motivation and productivity.

Serotonin

Serotonin flows when you feel significant or important. Loneliness and depression appears when serotonin is absent. It's perhaps one reason why people fall into gang and criminal activity -- the culture brings experiences that facilitate serotonin release. Unhealthy attention-seeking behavior can also be a cry for what serotonin brings.Princeton neuroscientist Barry Jacobs explains that most antidepressants focus on the production of serotonin.

Reflecting on past significant achievements allows the brain to re-live the experience.Our brain has trouble telling the difference between what's real and imagined, so it produces serotonin in both cases. It's another reason why gratitude practices are popular. They remind us that we are valued and have much to value in life. If you need a serotonin boost during a stressful day, take a few moments to reflect on a past achievements and victories.

Have lunch or coffee outside and expose yourself to the sun for 20 minutes; our skin absorbs UV rays, which promotes vitamin D and serotonin production. Although too much ultraviolet light isn't good, some daily exposure is healthy to boost serotonin levels.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin creates intimacy, trust, and builds healthy relationships. It's released by men and women during orgasm, and by mothers during childbirth and breastfeeding. Animals will reject their offspring when the release of oxytocin is blocked. Oxytocin increases fidelity; men in monogamous relationships who were given a boost of oxytocin interacted with single women at a greater physical distance then men who weren't given any oxytocin. The cultivation of oxytocin is essential for creating strong bonds and improved social interactions.

Often referred to as the cuddle hormone, a simple way to keep oxytocin flowing is to give someone a hug. Dr. Paul Zak explains that inter-personal touch not only only raises oxytocin, but reduces cardiovascular stress and improves the immune system; rather than just a hand shake, go in for the hug. Dr. Zak recommends eight hugs each day.

When someone receives a gift, their oxytocin levels can rise. You can strengthen work and personal relationships through a simple birthday or anniversary gift.

Endorphins

Endorphins are released in response to pain and stress and help to alleviate anxiety and depression. The surging "second wind" and euphoric "runners high" during and after a vigorous run are a result of endorphins. Similar to morphine, it acts as an analgesic and sedative, diminishing our perception of pain.

Along with regular exercise, laughter is one of the easiest ways to induce endorphin release. Even the anticipation and expectation of laugher, e.g., attending a comedy show, increases levels of endorphins. Taking your sense of humor to work, forwarding that funny email, and finding several things to laugh at during the day is a great way to keep the doctor away.

Aromatherapies: The smell of vanilla and lavender has been linked with the production of endorphins. Studies have shown that dark chocolate and spicy foods can lead the brain to release endorphins. Keep some scented oils and some dark chocolate at your desk for a quick endorphin boost.

A version of this article first appeared on The Utopian Life.

Foods That Fight Winter Depression. When long nights bring on a long face, this can mean seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Here are some tips to help fight off the winter blues.

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The winter blues can leave you not only feeling down in the dumps, but they can also send you rummaging for sweets. Don't get caught up in this vicious cycle.

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that affects 25 million Americans, mostly women. Much research has been done on this mysterious disorder.

In somewhat of a simplification, the lack of light in wintertime can result in lower levels of serotonin, the mood-enhancing chemical that regulates hunger and the feeling of well-being.

Serotonin production increases with light, meaning that gray gloom creeping in the window is not kicking the production of feel-good chemicals into action.

Some symptoms include depression, marathon napping, low self-esteem, obsessiveness over little things, irritability, shyness, and panic attacks. People with seasonal affective disorder may also sleep poorly (although for many hours), partly because they don't have enough serotonin to convert to the sleep substance melatonin.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and people generally recover completely around April or May - once the days become longer.

Treatment includes light therapy and/or medications. However, there are things you can do yourself that can help boost serotonin levels.

3 Ways to Boot up Your Serotonin

Julia Ross, MA, is director of the Recovery Systems Clinic in San Francisco and author of The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure. She tells WebMD there are three ways to jump-start your serotonin:

·         Subject yourself to bright indoor light. This is the touchstone of seasonal affective disorder treatment. Many pricey lights are available. Ross says a 300 watt bulb within three feet for 20 minutes three times a day can help, although the boost in serotonin may be temporary.

·         Exercise. This is very hard to do when caught up in the seasonal affective disorder cycle. But if you can force yourself to start, 15 to 20 minutes of dancing to the radio or fast walking can reduce a sweet tooth and improve mood.

·         Eat wisely. This means, pushing away the leftover cake and eating sensible carbs to stimulate serotonin. Sweets and simple carbs, like white rice and white bread, quickly raise blood sugar, flood you withinsulin, and then drop you in a hole. Eating wisely also means watching the caffeine, which suppresses serotonin. "If you must drink coffee, save it for after the meal," Ross says.

Six natural ways to increase your serotonin levels

Dr. Natasha Turner shows us how we can prep our serotonin levels to banish the blues.

Head out for a morning walk to boost your serotonin levels. Photo, Getty Images.

What causes the dip in mood?

Though serotonin is typically recognized as a brain chemical, the majority of this neurotransmitter is produced in our digestive tract. Serotonin exerts powerful influence over mood, emotions, memory, cravings (especially for carbohydrates), self-esteem, pain tolerance, sleep habits, appetite, digestion and body-temperature regulation. It is often thought of as our “happy hormone,” especially because its production increases when we’re exposed to natural sunlight. And let’s face it, after months of being stuck indoors, most Canadians are battling low serotonin levels.

Production of serotonin is closely linked to the availability of vitamin B6 and the amino acid tryptophan. If our diet lacks sufficient protein and vitamins, we run a greater risk of serotonin deficiency. We may experience a dip in serotonin in relation to physiological causes, dieting, low protein intake, digestive disorders and also stress, since high levels of the stress hormone cortisol rob us of serotonin. When we measure our current lifestyle against all the elements necessary for the body’s natural production of serotonin, add in chronic stress and out-of-control multitasking — two of the main causes of serotonin depletion —  it’s no wonder many of us suffer from depleted serotonin.

In my professional opinion, serotonin deficiency has become an epidemic of equal proportion to obesity. I also believe this parallel is no coincidence. Lets take a look at what you can do to ensure you keep your serotonin levels up:

1. Start pretending it’s summerBy this I don’t mean put on shorts and sandals and stand outside shivering — although the weather’s slowly creeping up. What you can do is engage in activities that get you excited for the warmer weather like planning your summer vacation (with a countdown on a calendar), booking some time at a cottage, confirming camping weekends, going for a pedicure (after a winter hiding in boots everyone needs a good pedicure) and even rescuing the barbeque from hiberation. I know the smell of a barbecue makes me feel like summer is coming.

Find out what makes you feel good and put it into action.

2. Alleviate sadness with 5-HTPA derivative of tryptophan, and one step closer to serotonin, 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) has been found to actually be more effective than tryptophan for treating sleeplessness, depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia. As an added bonus, it has a positive influence on your weight and can curb an out-of-control appetite – another reason why it’s a great supplement going into the warmer months. In one Italian study, women who took 5-HTP lost 10 pounds over 12 weeks, compared to two pounds in the placebo group.

Bottom line: I recommend taking 50-400 mg per day in divided doses throughout the day or before bed. This product should be taken for at least 4-6 weeks to reach full effectiveness.

3. Calm your brain with a B vitaminI recommend that my patients keep a B-complex at their desk during times of stress. High total intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 are associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms over time in community-residing older adults, according to the results of a cohort study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Vitamin B6 in particular supports the production and function of serotonin, melatonin and dopamine in the brain.

Bottom line: Take 50-100 mg before bed or a B-complex once daily. If you find yourself suffering from fatigue and chronic stress, in conjunction with depression, you may want to add in additional B5 (also known as pantothenic acid). This is fuel for the adrenal glands and it can prevent certain types of depression as well as provide support for your central nervous system. Take 250 mg twice daily with food.

4. Smile with St. John’s WortThis herb has been proven effective for easing mild to moderate depression. It appears to work as a natural SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) by preventing the breakdown of serotonin in the brain.

Bottom line: My recommended dosage is 900 mg per day away from food, like on rising or before bed. It takes a minimum of 4-6 weeks to reach full effectiveness.

5. Add inositol to your smoothiesNaturally present in many foods, inositol improves the activity of serotonin in the brain. As a supplement, it’s an excellent choice for alleviating anxiety and depression and supporting nervous system health. I use it in powdered form and add it to my daily smoothie or a glass of water before bed. Inositol is very effective for calming the nervous system when mixed with magnesium.

Bottom line: Take 4-12 g per day.

6. Follow the lightThere’s a pretty good reason that Canadians love their patios – after being stuck inside all winter, we can hardly wait to get some fresh air and sunlight. Heading into the sunshine, even on a cool day, is the quickest way to boost your mood (and burn some belly fat). If you do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach you will not only burn 20 percent more calories, you’ll jumpstart your mood for the entire day.

Bottom line: Start with 2-3 short walks first thing in the morning and work your way up to doing it daily (when weather and schedule permit)

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How to Boost Serotonin

Serotonin is an important brain chemical that helps to elevate your mood and stop you from feeling down or depressed. While there are chemical ways to increase your serotonin levels, there are also numerous natural ways too. Below is a discussion of some of the natural ways that you can boost your serotonin levels to get feeling happy, fulfilled, and energized again.

Method 1 of 2: Boosting Serotonin Through Diet

1. 
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   Understand the serotonin/food myths. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths surrounding food and increased levels of serotonin. These myths include:
   

   • Foods rich in tryptophan automatically boost serotonin. This is false. Most foods that contain tryptophan, an amino acid, compete with other amino acids to be absorbed by the body's transport system.^[1] Eating a lot of turkey, which is rich in tryptophan, will not automatically give you more serotonin.
   • Eating a lot of banana will automatically boost serotonin. Bananas do contain serotonin. That serotonin, however, is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier and be absorbed by humans.^[1]
   
   
2. 
   2
   Shun the simple carbs and embrace the complex carbs. Complex carbohydrates are absorbed by the body differently than simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs like white rice and white bread raise your blood levels quickly, causing a spike in insulin, which drops after a while.^[2] Complex carbs are absorbed more slowly by the body and therefore avoid the massive peaks and troughs brought upon by simple carbs.
   

   • Complex carbs^[3] include:
     • Legumes like peas and lentils
     • Whole grain breads
     • Whole grain pastas
     • Brown rice
     • Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and parsnips
   • Simple carbs include:
     • White bread
     • White rice
     • "Normal" pasta
     • Cakes, candies, and other refined sugar products
3. 
   3
   Avoid caffeinated foods, especially energy drinks. Caffeine suppresses serotonin, which could also help explain why it's a hunger suppressant as well.^[2]Energy drinks contain large amounts of sugar, which the body processes quickly, but which produce an energy-zapping low after the insulin has finished surging. If you have to drink caffeinated products, wait until after you've eaten, doctors recommend.
4. 
   4
   Eat healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are hypothesized to affect the functionality of serotonin in the brain. People with low serotonin levels commonly have low DHA levels, which is an essential building block in the brain, and which needs to be replenished with foods such as fish oils, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids.^[4] Look for omega-3 fats in:
   

   • Fish, such as salmon, and fish oils
   • Nuts, seeds and seed oils, such as flax seed oil
5. 
   5
   Eat dark chocolate. Eating dark chocolate improves serotonin levels partly because of resveratrol.^[5]Resveratrol boosts both endorphins and serotonin levels. Remember to reach for dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, as milk chocolate contains far less cocoa (the stuff that produces serotonin) than dark chocolate.^[6]
   
   

Method 2 of 2: Boosting Serotonin in Other Ways

1. 
   1
   Exercise regularly. Exercise is a great way to boost your serotonin levels.^[1] The results are clear: exercise causes an increase in tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin. The tryptophan persists well after exercising is finished, suggesting that mood elevation may be present for hours after the exercising has finished.
   

   • Work out in at intensity levels with which you are familiar. Consistent serotonin release is linked with exercise that people feel comfortable with, not exercise that pushes people off the edge, an English study has found.^[7]
   • If you can't find the time to exercise regularly, try walking or 30 minutes to an hour per day. At the very least, this moderate exercise will help burn calories and boost tryptophan levels, causing an increase in serotonin.
2. 
   2
   Get enough light. Light probably helps serotonin synthesis. Research has found a positive correlation between serotonin synthesis and total hours of sunlight during the day.^[1] In postmortems of humans, serotonin levels are higher during the summer months than the winter months.^[8] Getting a better mood could be as easy as opening the curtains in your otherwise dark room.
   

   • Get natural light during the day, not artificial light during the night. Natural, daytime sunlight is better at giving you serotonin than artificial LED, fluorescent, or UV light.^[9] Getting artificial light, especially at night, has the added disadvantage of blocking melatonin production, which helps your body get a good night's sleep.
3. 
   3
   Invest in massage. Several studies show that massage therapy helps cut down the stress hormone cortisol while boosting serotonin levels and increasing dopamine.^[10][11] This double-pronged benefit makes massage particularly valuable.
4. 
   4
   Understand that stress may interfere with serotonin. Prolonged periods of stress can deplete serotonin levels.^[12] Serious and systematic stress can have an impact on the body's ability to produce and synthesize serotonin. This means that you should stay away from stressful situations as much as possible, and find healthy ways to deal with stress once it comes your way.
   

   • If confronted with lifestyle stress, try practicing:
     • Yoga
     • Meditation
     • Deep breathing exercises
     • Self-expression (art)
5. 
   5
   Relive happy memories. Though it may sound corny, reliving happy times may be enough to give your brain a serotonin boost.^[9] This may directly increase serotonin levels and keep you from fixating on less happy times, if you are prone to depression. The inability to think of happier times is called "state dependent recall." If you can't think of happier times, try talking to friends or family and looking at old journals or pictures.

Tips

• Eating healthy, exercising, and maintaining an optimistic outlook can do wonders for boosting your serotonin. You don't necessarily need drugs to boost serotonin.

• Warnings: Talk to your doctor if you are seriously depressed or inexplicably saddened. You may have a serious condition that needs medical intervention and/or drugs.