Eating chocolate, craving cuddles, compulsively checking social media… Are these all bad habits? Or your body trying to get the essential things it needs? Sometimes our habits or cravings are trying to tell us something important about how to care for ourselves. All of the above mentioned scenarios might indicate a natural attempt at balancing feel-good chemicals in the body. These hormones play a crucial role not only in feeling happy, but in physical systems like digestion, sleep-wake cycle, blood pressure, and stress regulation. The good news is we are powerful! We have the ability to affect these systems positively.
First, let’s learn a little bit about the chemicals that create feelings of happiness.
Dopamine — The Reward Chemical
Dopamine is released when your brain is expecting a reward. You that feeling when you see how many people liked your social media post? That’s dopamine. Social media platforms capitalize on the dopamine hit we get when we feel seen, recognized and appreciated. Associating a thing or activity with positive feelings activates dopamine in a pleasure-reward cycle. Dopamine can be released simply by anticipating a reward, and similarly can be diminished if that reward doesn’t come. This can be a big factor in addiction recovery, or even just breaking bad habits. Lack of sleep can also lower dopamine levels, so make sure you get your zzz’s!
Oxytocin — The Love Hormone
Oxytocin is that warm and safe feeling you get when you’re surrounded by loved ones. Think of the natural high of playing with a dog, snuggling a baby, hugging your family, or expressing heartfelt appreciation for those around you. Not only does oxytocin help us create social and romantic bonds, but it reduces stress and anxiety by lowering blood pressure and cortisol.
Serotonin — The Mood Stabilizer
Serotonin is primarily found in the digestive system. It is made from the amino acid tryptophan (of Thanksgiving turkey fame) which is found in nuts, cheese and red meat. Serotonin is a key player for “rest and digest” mode, helping with digestion, sleep, bone health, and healing, and has been linked to depression, insomnia and anxiety.
Endorphins — The Pain Killer
Endorphins are the natural way our body dulls pain sensation. They act on our naturally-occurring opioid receptors. We know that there’s an opioid epidemic in this country and around the world. Hack your brain and get some pain-relieving benefits by working out, watching a comedy or talking to a friend that makes you laugh, or munching on dark chocolate.
Now here are some ideas for how to get some of these feel-good benefits on-demand:
So the next time you’re craving chocolate — go ahead and grab a couple squares of the dark stuff! Endlessly doomscrolling? Instead, get a snack, put some music on, or check something off of your to-do list (or do all three!) Whatever you choose, the power lies in you.