Young and Profiting with Hala Taha - YAPSnacks: 4 Brain Chemicals that Activate Happiness, and How to Use Them

Episode Date: January 16, 2021

Let's get happy! Learn about the happy chemicals we can fire up in our brain: Endorphins, Serotonin, Dopamine, and Oxytocin. Hopefully, this #YapSnacks episode leaves you motivated to better help your brain help you. Follow YAP on IG: www.instagram.com/youngandprofiting Reach out to Hala directly at [e-mail] Follow Hala on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Follow Hala on Instagram: www.instagram.com/yapwithhala Follow Hala on ClubHouse: @halataha Check out our website to meet the team, view show notes and transcripts: www.youngandprofiting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of YAP is sponsored in part by Shopify. Shopify simplifies selling online and in-person so you can focus on successfully growing your business. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com-profiting. You can crush your fingers and all your toes during a data center migration. You can knock on wood, pluck a dozen for leaf clovers or look to your lucky stars for a successful office expansion.

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Are you happy? And no, not what your social media posts say, I'm asking if you're genuinely happy inside. While I'm blessed beyond measure, and I'm devoted to practicing gratitude every day, to positive thinking, to saying positive affirmations every day. I'm definitely not immune to sadness. I don't think anyone is. I'm a human going through the human experience, and like everybody, there's lots of ups and downs in life, and especially in 2020, I think we all had our fair share of challenging moments. Some of us were impacted more than others, but it's been a hard time, it's been a hard year. And so I've been reflecting on how to be more strategic

about switching on the feel good chemicals when counting on my blessings doesn't quite feel like enough anymore. So what feel good chemicals do we want fired up in our brains? Well, there's four major ones. Endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Before I discuss how to actually activate these chemicals

and give you some practical tips there, let's break down what they are and what purpose they serve. Endorphins are what I call the pleasure drug. Serotonin is the life balance drug. Dopamine is the motivation drug, and last but not least, oxytocin is the love drug. PSA, I'm going to be super repetitive when it comes to this episode, and that's because I think a lot of us have heard of endorphins in serotonin and dopamine, but I think we forget what they really mean and what they actually do. And in order for us to be strategic and proactive about activating these happy chemicals,

then we need to actually know what they each do and remember. And so, in order for me to help you remember and learn and have it stick in your brain, I'm going to be super repetitive and try to repeat keywords so that you remember it two years, ten years, you know, twenty years from now, you remember what these happy chemicals are. So endorphins. Endorphins are all about pleasure, this feeling of pleasure. It promotes well-being and it relieves pain. Endorphins are neurotransmitters secreted in response to stress and pain.

So when you think of endorphins, think of pleasure and pain relief. Serotonin. Serotonin is a key hormone that stabilizes our mood. Serotonin is all about balance. It balances our feeling of well-being and happiness, and it's a hormone that impacts your entire body. It enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other, and it helps to balance sleep, eating, and digestion.

So when you think of serotonin, think of life balance. Dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that ferries information between neurons. The brain releases it when you do enjoyable activities, contributing to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction, and it releases dopamine as part of the reward system. It's a neurochemical that boosts your mood, motivation, and attention.

It helps regulate movement, learning, and emotional responses. Dopamine is a drug that helps you form habits. It helps you get moving. It helps you get moving. It is the motivation drug. Oxytocin is a hormone made in your hypothalamus that causes feelings of love and closeness. Many experts note that oxytocin is directly connected

to positive communication, all closeness and general positivity. Again, oxytocin is the love of jug. And I hope I made it easy to remember for you. Now that we're on the same page in terms of what these four feel good chemicals are, let's go into my top methods to switch them on. Let's start with how to increase your endorphins. Again, when you think endorphins think the pleasure drug. It reduces your perception of pain and it triggers positive feelings. It's impact on the body is commonly compared to morphine.

So how do you switch on this chemical release? Exercise. Now, I know you guys might be tired of this first tip, but you know what? It's tried and true and Exercise is the number one way to boost your endorphins. And by the way, this is also a tip for myself. I need to take my own advice. In 2020, I worked out way less than I have in previous years. I used to go to workout classes three, four times a week.

I was a gym rat. I loved doing cardio kickboxing in Zoom, but in Pilates and yoga. And I was always in the gym. And I just loved being in that group environment. It just made me so happy listening to loud music, being with other people, meeting new friends and I'm just such a social person that once quarantine happened and COVID happened, it was really hard for me to get motivated to work out because I loved being in that gym setting and just being at home working out wasn't the same.

But, you know, I just forced myself to get into it. I do virtual classes on class pass now. I'm really into Barry's boot camp online and I just do that every single day. And it's not as good as the gym, but you know what? I feel better because moving your body and increasing your heart rate triggers endorphin production. And when you're doing what's right, which is taking care of your body, you always feel great.

And not to mention that there's a direct correlation between exercise and reduced anxiety and depression. When your heart starts pumping and your sweat glands start going, that rush of feel good chemicals kick in to reduce the brain's perception of pain. But remember, in order to get that endorphin-induced exercise high, you've got to push through that initial stage of discomfort in your workout. So next time you're working out and you

feel like you just can't go longer enough and you're really feeling tired, just remember to push through because that's when you're going to get that endorphin-induced exercise high. So the second way that going to get that endorphin-induced exercise high. So the second way that you can increase your endorphins is by spending time with friends. Now I know this is nearly impossible with COVID. I mean, social distancing, increased workloads, homeschooling, there's so many reasons why

people have no time to hang out with each other anymore. Not to mention that it's not safe to hang out with people, but let's try to be proactive in terms of connecting with people. We have technology, and so our endorphins and our happiness depends on us feeling connected. So more face time, more Zoom, more hanging out outside, do whatever you can in order to feel connected.

So personally, I've been feeling really connected using the new Clubhouse app. So if you haven't heard of Clubhouse, it's an audio-only app, and it's one of the most fun things that I've done in months. Ever since COVID started and we can't really hang out with anyone anymore, go to social events Clubhouse,

has given me so much fulfillment, and I feel so connected when I'm on there. And I think it's because when we were cavemen, all we wanted to do was listen to stories and I think as humans were just hardwired to love stories. And it feels like you're just around a fire with everyone just sharing. And it's very interactive. And it's just one of the most, again, again, it's just the most fun thing that I've done since COVID happened in terms of a virtual event. So I would definitely recommend Clubhouse. It will definitely boost your indoor fence. I think that's why so many

people are addicted to this app and spending hours and hours on this app. It's because it's fulfilling. You feel connected. It's one of the first social media platforms where you actually feel connected to everyone who's in the room. And it's an awesome experience. So definitely recommend Clubhouse to get that connected feeling and to booster endorphins. Young and profitors, do you have a brilliant business idea but you don't know how to move forward with it?

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And like I said, it's one of my favorite things to do every day is check my Shopify dashboard. It is a rush of dopamine to see all those blinking lights around the world showing me where everybody is logging on on the site. I love it. I highly recommend it. Shopify is a platform that I use every single day and it can take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopfide.com-profiting. Again, go to shopfide.com-profiting, all lowercase, to take your business to the next level today. Again, that shopfide.com-profiting, shopfide.com-profiting, all lowercase. This is Possibility Powered by Shopify. My third tip to increase in

Dwarfense is to laugh. They don't say laughter is the best medicine for no reason. I always feel good after a great laugh. And for me, I love stand-up comedy. So when I want to get a good laugh, I turn on stand-up comedy on Netflix. I pick somebody that I love. I watch it. I get a good laugh, I get a boost of endorphins, and I feel better. And they also have live streaming comedy events now, so just do a little bit of research, find what you like, turn on your favorite comedy movie, and you will get a boost of endorphins.

And lastly, dig in, that's right. Food is another way to boost your endorphins. There's specific foods like jinsig, chocolate, strawberries, oranges, spicy nuts, and grapes. All of those trigger your brain to release endorphins. But you're not just limited to what I listed. Just eating your favorite foods does the trick. So for me, my favorite food in the world

is my mom's homemade lasagna. She does that, I get a rush of endorphins. So if you are feeling down, you have my full permission to enjoy that cheat dish that just makes you smile. Just remember everything and moderation. Okay, so let's move on to happy chemical number two, Sarah Tonin. Sarah Tonin is the hormone that keeps you feeling centered, balanced, and happy. It's the life-balanced drug. So how do you trigger it? Firstly, get some sunlight. Yes, that means you got to put on your mask and go outside. Getting daily sun exposure is very important when it comes to increasing your Sarah Tonin. And, you know, if you live in a cloudy environment,

or, you know, if you live in a city and you feel like it's too crowded to go outside, look into purchasing a light therapy box. You can shop for these online. And not to mention, it's winter time, and so the season is against you right now. Serotonin tends to be lower in the winter and higher in the summer and fall, so you should be even more proactive when it comes to going outside. Try to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes a day outside, and why not take your physical activity outside if that's possible, then you'll get the double bonus of endorphins and serotonin at the same time.

The next way to boost your serotonin levels is to get a massage. This is due to a decrease in cortisol, which is known as your fight or flight response, or built in a alarm hormone, which lets you know when you're in danger. And it keeps you on high alert and with a rapid heart rate. Massages are able to decrease cortisol and increase their tonin, making you calmer,

and also helping to regulate your mood. So since it's COVID, we can't all go to the spa and get a massage, but if you've got a spouse or if you've got kids, why not treat each other and give each other a massage and help to boost each other's serotonin levels? And lastly, this may seem like a hokey tip, but it's a good one and it's really simple.

It's to recall a good memory. All you got to do is remember a positive event that happened in your life, and that simple act can increase your serotonin production. Okay, onto happy brain chemical number three, dopamine. You've probably heard of dopamine if you've been listening to ongoing news about tech addiction. Dopamine is the same brain chemical

associated with food addiction, drug addiction, and sex addiction. Dopamine is the same brain chemical associated with food addiction, drug addiction, and sex addiction. Despite all this bad press, dopamine is an incredible drug. It's meant to motivate your body towards a distant goal, one step at a time. Without dopamine, early humans would have never had the motivation to hunt down large mammals and benefit from investing effort into long-term

goals. Dopamine is what helps you get through your to-do list. It's what motivates you to start a new habit. So when you think of dopamine, think motivation drug. So how do you tap into the internal motivation that you can find with dopamine? First off, get your sleep. Yes, sleep. It seems to be the cure for everything.

It is so important for our health, our mental health, preventing heart disease, preventing diabetes. It literally is the cure all. It seems for everything, including your happiness. So you need to get seven to nine hours of sleep. And I don't know about you, but COVID and staying at home and not having to commute and not having to be anywhere at a certain time really screwed up my sleep schedule.

I was sleeping super late, waking up really late, and just had no rhythm. And I think that's really bad. So I would encourage everyone to set a strict sleep schedule. Be easy on the caffeine in the evening, make your room comfortably dark, put down your phone at least 30 minutes before bed, and really try to step it into high gear when it comes to your sleep schedule. When dopamine is released in the brain, it creates feelings of alertness and wakefulness. Animal studies show that dopamine is released in larger

amounts in the morning and naturally falls before you sleep. So sleep deprivation disrupts this natural rhythm, and so all those all-nighters that you may be pulling significantly decrease your brain's dopamine receptors the next morning, and that might be why you feel like you're in such a crappy mood. If you want more sleep tips, check out YAPS episode number 12 with Sleep Expert Daniel Gertmberg. Another way to increase your dopamine levels is to play your favorite music. So this is a super easy, simple and cheap way to increase your dopamine levels.

In fact, several brain imaging studies have found that listening to music increases activity in the reward and pleasure areas of the brain, which are super rich with dopamine receptors. So here's a fun idea. How about right after you get up in the morning and before you shower? Put on your favorite songs and just devote 10 minutes to dancing.

I guarantee that you're going to be in a great mood for the rest of the day. And so the last quick tip I'm going to give for increasing your dopamine levels is to take a supplement. There's plenty of supplements out there that increase your dopamine levels and some of the popular ones include kinko bilboa, curcumin, and magnesium. Moving on to happy chemical number four. This is the last happy chemical we're covering today and it's oxytocin, the love drug.

Oxytocin is what makes meaningful experiences heartwarming. So let's discuss how you can switch this thing on. First of all, perform acts of service. When you provide joy to someone else, you gift it to yourself as well. Giving someone a gift or practicing a random act of kindness makes them happy which can make you feel happy too. And so the simple act of brightening someone's

day can lift your spirits, promote positive feelings, and increase your oxytocin. So we can all find ways to lessen the impact of COVID. Let's show up for each other. Do something nice. Autruistic and selfless behaviors can promote oxytocin release. The next way to increase your oxytocin levels is to have meaningful conversations. Skip the small talk, whether it's a colleague or a loved one, try to have an actual meaningful conversation. Connect, be present, be active, put down your phone,

and make these conversations count. So the next time your friend or partner wants to talk about something important, make sure that there's nothing around to distract you, make eye contact, give them your complete attention, and this close interaction can trigger an oxytocin release, helping you feel more connected to each other. And the last tip to increase your oxytocin levels

is to watch a movie that pulls at your heart. Just watch an emotional movie. When we feel empathy towards each other, we're putting ourselves emotionally in their shoes. In fact, a research study showed that inducing empathy by watching an emotional video clip raised people's oxytocin levels, which in turn led them to be more generous. I recommend to watch the first five minutes of up for a potent boost. So that's how you can turn on your four main feel good chemicals. Again, endorphins are the pleasure drug, serotonin, the life balance drug, dopamine, the motivation drug, and oxytocin, the love drug. So I hope you guys learned something new in this episode, and in the stressful and unusual

times, I hope that you're diligent about your happiness, and I hope that you're intentional about switching on those feel good chemicals. And is it always easy? No, but it's definitely possible to be more proactive and more strategic about what you do so that you can feel happier and more balanced. So with that said, I hope that some of these methods you remember when you're feeling down and that you hold a piece of your sunshine closer. Don't worry, be happy, and switch on those feel good chemicals.

Are you looking for ways to be happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative? I'm Gretchen Ruben, the number one best-selling author of the Happiness Project. And every week, we share ideas and practical solutions on the Happier with Gretchen Ruben podcast. My co-host and Happiness Guinea Pig is my sister Elizabeth Kraft. That's me, Elizabeth Kraft, a TV writer and producer in Hollywood. Join us as we explore fresh insights from cutting-edge science,

ancient wisdom, pop culture, and our own experiences about cultivating happiness and good habits. Every week we offer a try this at home tip you can use to boost your happiness without spending a lot of time, energy, or money. Suggestions such as, follow the one-minute rule. Choose a one-word theme for the year, or design your summer. We also feature segments like, Yourself better where we discuss questions like are you an over buyer or an under buyer? Morning person or night person, abundance lever or simplicity lever? And every episode includes a happiness hack, a quick easy shortcut

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