Everyone has heard about the hormones of happiness which are dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, oxytocin. But not everyone understands how these hormones work, why they stand out and how affect our mood and behavior. First, let's figure out where they come from. Our brain is a huge network of neurons. One of the important part of brain is the limbic system, which includes several small-sized sections of the brain. And neurons, wich are in this limbic system synthesize neurotransmitters called happiness hormones. Dopamine creates a wish to reach the goals and makes person feel joyful from the fact that he / she finds something necessary for it.
Endorphin forms a feeling of lightness and oblivion that allows us to ignore pain. Oxytocin motivates a man to trust people so that he or she feels safety being in society. Serotonin motivates people to earn respect. Thanks to them we experience emotions, build relationships, trust and fall in love. Also there is a stress hormone in our body - cortisol, because of which we feel anxiety, fear, pain and anger. But therein lies an important evolutionary meaning to feel the danger and take action. If our body always synthesized only the hormones of happiness, we could not notice the problems, and therefore the danger. So both happiness and stress are the survival programs laid by nature. But besides the limbic system, there is the cerebral cortex, which analyzes the surrounding reality, extracts experience and helps us to cope with emotions.
This was written by Nino Kutivadze
DISCUSSION:
Do you often feel happy?
When are you happy?