Dopamine and serotonin, popularly known as “pleasure hormones,” are substances that can significantly affect a person’s mood and well-being. It is only natural that people are concerned about how their production can be influenced, thereby improving the quality of their lives.
Hormons of happiness
Endorphins, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin are neurotransmitters produced by the hypothalamus. All neurotransmitters can be divided into three groups. For better perception, we will present the information in the form of a table.
| Name of a group of neurotransmitters | Neurotransmitters | Action on the body |
| Amino acids | Gamma-aminobutyric acid | Inhibition of the nervous system |
| Glycine | Inhibition of the nervous system, increased production of gamma-aminobutyric acid | |
| Glutamate | Excitation of the nervoussystems | |
| Aspartate | Excitation of the nervous system | |
| Catecholamines | Adrenaline | Excitation of the nervous system |
| Norepinephrine | Excitation of the nervous system, wakefulness of the body | |
| Dopamine | Motivation, anticipation of pleasure | |
|
Other nuns |
Serotonin | Pleasure |
| Histamine | Reaction to emotional and physical stress |
Neurotransmitters have a tremendous impact on a person, not only affecting mood, but also adapting the body to circumstances.
Before you know whether it is possible to influence the amount of certain neurotransmitters, it is necessary to consider two substances that play a direct role in shaping a person's mood: dopamine and serotonin.
Dopamine
Dopamine is called the hormone of pleasure, although a more accurate definition for this neurotransmitter is the “hormone of motivation.”
But human motivation is directly related to pleasure. The emergence of a desire to start a particular activity depends on how strongly this activity is associated with pleasure for a particular person. And the stronger the perceived enjoyment of an activity or its result, the stronger the incentive to engage in this activity.
Consider the effect of dopamine on the human psyche using a simple example. Exercising may not be a source of pleasure for a person, but improving your appearance and anticipating contemplation of your body or receiving approval from others will increase the production of dopamine. This is how motivation for any activity arises.
Serotonin
The action of serotonin on the body is not limited to improving mood. With it, you can:
- improve cognitive abilities, that is, the ability to perceive, analyze and remember information;
- reduce pain threshold;
- increase muscle tone;
- correctly perceive and experience stressful situations.
Serotonin makes a person feel euphoria, joy, pleasure. With a lack of this neurotransmitter, you can feel apathy and irritability.
Based on this, it would seem that the task of a person who wants to constantly be in a good mood and a state of high motivation is to maintain a high level of these neurotransmitters. However, dopamine and serotonin are antagonists.
Antagonism of neurotransmitters
In simple terms, dopamine causes the desire to achieve pleasure, and serotonin becomes the chemical cause of the feeling of pleasure itself. But a person who is in a blissful state of euphoria cannot be motivated to pursue a goal that can improve his mood, as well as a well-fed person.will not feel like sitting down at the dinner table.
When dopamine rises, serotonin levels fall. A person does not experience pleasure, he is overcome by a feeling of anxiety, he receives a powerful motivation for active actions aimed at achieving the desired. After the goal is reached, the concentration of serotonin in the blood will increase, and the amount of dopamine, on the contrary, will decrease, freeing the person from the desire to continue vigorous activity and giving him the opportunity to enjoy the result.
But the important thing is that the interaction of dopamine and serotonin does not work in the opposite direction: if dopamine falls, serotonin does not rise. For example, if in the process of achieving a goal a person encounters insurmountable obstacles, his dopamine will decrease, and the desire to move towards the goal will disappear. But since serotonin will remain the same, feelings of happiness will not arise. On the contrary, the person's mood will decrease, and, in the language of psychology, frustration will arise.
How to increase serotonin?
Considering the above, we can conclude how to produce serotonin and dopamine. Influencing serotonin directly is problematic, but it is possible to influence the increase in dopamine by the power of consciousness.
To do this, you need to set a goal, the achievement of which will bring a feeling of strong satisfaction. It is important that the goal is achievable, and in the process of moving towards it, a person does not encounter serious obstacles that level the desire to continue activities.
According to the measureachievement of small goals, the motivation for activity will increase, and the person will be able to enthusiastically take on more complex tasks that require overcoming obstacles.
Meaning of will
Of course, one cannot perceive a person's mood solely as the work of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. With a high level of dopamine, a person is able to achieve the goal faster and easier, and as a result, raise the level of serotonin.
But the strong-willed factor is of great importance. By overcoming apathy with low dopamine levels and continuing activity, a person is able to get a result that not only causes an increase in the production of serotonin, but also forms a pattern of volitional behavior.
The good news for those who cannot boast of an iron will is that the will is perfectly trained when a person does not follow the lead of a depressed mood over and over again, but continues to work, convincing himself with logical arguments. The stronger the will of a person is trained, the easier it is for him to easily take on tasks that seem boring or difficult to him. Thus, a person gets the opportunity to maintain the hormones serotonin and dopamine at the level necessary for good self-feeling.
Neurotransmitters and nutrition
There is information according to which the level of neurotransmitters can be influenced by certain foods. There is indeed a correlation between mood and food, and it is based on the concentration of the amino acid tryptophan in the blood.
It can either be supplied ready-made with food, or synthesized in the body when glucose is supplied. Biochemically, this process looks like this: after eating foods rich in glucose, insulin is released into the blood, which is responsible for the absorption of the latter. This causes your body to break down protein, which in turn triggers the production of tryptophan.
This is why many people who are in the grip of a bad mood feel the urge to eat sweet foods.
Tryptophan foods
In order to know how to increase serotonin and dopamine through nutrition, you need to remember which foods contain the most tryptophan.
| Meat products | Rabbit, turkey, veal |
| Seafood | Black and red caviar, squid, salmon |
| Nuts | Peanuts, almonds, cashews |
| Dairy | Cheese and processed cheese |
| Confectionery | Halva and chocolate |
All products are listed in grade order based on tryptophan content.
You can also eat any sweets like bananas or ice cream. However, it should be remembered that, filling the diet with dishes that affect the level of serotonin and dopamine, you need to make a choice in favor of he althy foods, as well as maintain an optimal daily calorie level.and balance in proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Otherwise, there is a risk of encountering a food addiction, when an increase in mood will directly depend on the use of certain dishes.
Other ways to boost your mood
Food is not the only way to increase the level of neurotransmitters responsible for mood and motivation. There are several ways to use regularly to not only feel happier, but also reduce anxiety, increase alertness and performance:
- sports - from a simple walk to intense strength training;
- massage, including self-massage:
- cold - hardening has long been used as an alternative treatment for neurosis;
- sun - being in the open sun is guaranteed to cheer you up;
- sex and falling in love - during attachment to a person, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin are produced, while the latter is responsible for a feeling of intense emotional closeness, which causes a feeling of intense pleasure in each person;
- art - even watching a movie and listening to audio recordings increase the concentration of neurotransmitters.
To keep your mood at a consistently high level, it is important to find ways for yourself to quickly relieve tension, anxiety and depression. Walking with friends, watching a comedy/comedy show, or hanging out with loved ones has a proven ability to influencethe level of serotonin in the body.
In addition, it is important to eliminate factors that prevent the increase in the concentration of neurotransmitters. These include chronic diseases, stress, starvation.
Thus, knowing what dopamine, serotonin, endorphin are and what effect they have on the quality of our life, you can control your mood and influence the level of motivation when achieving certain goals.
