Lesson 3 Oh, Happy Days!
The Chemistry of Happiness
When we ask ourselves what makes us happy, ____ often think of the circumstances we are in, what we have, or whom we are with.
From a biological ____ of view, however, happiness is largely a chemical experience.
Four main brain chemicals are responsible for creating the sensations and emotions we associate with happiness: endorphins, serotonin, ____ and oxytocin.
It is good ____ for us that happiness can be controlled.
Even when our lives aren’t exactly what we would like them ____ be, we can improve our mood by engaging in pleasant and healthy activities that increase the amounts of these happiness chemicals.
____ take a deeper dive into what each of these chemicals does and how we can increase their levels.
Endorphins: The Pain Relievers
Endorphins are ____ pain relievers.
They are “feelgood” chemicals because they can make you feel better and put you in a ____ state of mind.
When our body feels ____ or stress, the brain releases endorphins to block the nerve cells that receive the pain signals.
This ____ turns off your pain, helping you continue functioning,even in painful and stressful situations.
The most well-known way to increase endorphins ____ through slightly challenging exercise which makes you a little short of breath.
Research shows that about twenty ____ thirty minutes of exercise can help boost your endorphin levels significantly.
Another way is to have a good ____
Share funny videos, tell jokes, and laugh with your ____
We don’t laugh because we ____ happy; we are happy because we laugh.
Serotonin: The Mood Balancer
Serotonin is another brain chemical that plays ____ key role in balancing our mood.
It provides feelings of happiness and also ____ decrease our worries and concerns.
When you feel happy and all seems right with the world, you are feeling ____ effects of serotonin.
Serotonin is made from the essential amino acid tryptophan, ____ must enter our body through our diet.
Therefore, eating foods rich in tryptophan like chicken, ____ eggs, and nuts can boost your body’s natural ability to make serotonin.
Furthermore, good habits like getting ____ sunshine and going on short walks can do wonders for boosting your levels of serotonin.
Dopamine: ____ Reward Chemical
Dopamine is an ____ chemical for motivation.
It ____ called the “reward chemical” because it rewards the brain with happy feelings for meeting goals and achieving things.
We can also feel a dopamine rush when we imagine a ____ achievement.
In both cases, dopamine gives us feelings of joy and satisfaction, encouraging us to seek out more goals ____ find new challenges.
Choosing food higher in protein can be a good ____ to increase your dopamine levels naturally, because it can only be made with the amino acid tyrosine, which is found in many proteins.
Getting regular, high-quality sleep may also help keep ____ dopamine levels balanced and help you feel more alert during the day.
Meditation has also been shown to increase ____ levels.
This, in turn, ____ to improved focus and concentration.
Oxytocin: The Love Hormone
Oxytocin is often called ____ “love hormone” because it promotes social bonding and trust.
It is mainly associated ____ loving touches and close relationships.
Oxytocin will be released when ____ are connecting with people, and it reduces your stress level and calms down your nervous system.
Spending ____ with friends and loved ones is a great way to raise your oxytocin levels.
Giving or receiving a massage, shaking hands, or hugging can lead to higher ____ of oxytocin as well.
If you have ____ pet, you can increase oxytocin for both yourself and your pet by hugging your little friend.
You ____ have heard the saying “Happiness depends on your attitude, not on what you have.”
Endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin help promote ____ and you can give these happiness chemicals a natural boost with simple activities.
____ cannot always choose the situations we find ourselves in, but we can certainly choose what to do for ourselves.
There’s a lot we can do to boost the happiness chemicals in ____ brains.
This means that we have ____ of our own happiness!