DOSE of Happiness
‘Happiness depends on ourselves’ - Aristotle enshrined happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal.
‘If life is a journey, who’s driving your bus?’
‘If happiness is good medicine, how do you get your dose?’
DOSE, as it relates to happiness, stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins, the neurotransmitters and hormones that create that happy feeling. They, of course, lead right into the bus question. You can either sit in the passenger’s seat and just let life happen, or step up and ensure you get a daily DOSE of happiness to keep you in the driver’s seat.
Dopamine is a motivator. It’s released when you’re doing something you find pleasurable, and your brain loves it; it wants more. As wonderful as it is to celebrate reaching one of our goals, we should also celebrate the journey, create sub-goals, the parts that create the whole. Sub-goals act as signposts for our progress and celebrating each one sets us up for repeated hits of dopamine, which makes us feel good and motivates us to keep going. It even works with the seemingly un-fun stuff. If you think you’re running a little low on motivation, all you need to do is find just a tiny bit of fun in whatever you’re doing and celebrate that you’re doing it to boost your dopamine levels. Use dopamine to your advantage, more celebration = more dopamine = more motivation = more to celebrate = (you get the picture). Dopamine provides the motivation that is the fuel that keeps both us and the bus of life moving.
Oxytocin is often referred to as the hugging hormone. It’s released when we feel connected to others, and it creates and strengthens the bonds of relationships. A smile, a kind word, or only taking time to be with someone all cause the release of oxytocin, but the best way to raise your oxytocin levels is to share a hug. I’m not sure if hugging is appropriate in the current pandemic. Like dopamine, use oxytocin to your advantage – feel connected = oxytocin release = more connection through smiles and even hugs = oxytocin release = more connections through smiles and even hugs = on and on. Oxytocin is the hormone that makes sure we aren’t always traveling alone.
Serotonin flows when we feel significant or important when we feel grateful and through the absorption of a few (not too many) UV rays. Yes, that’s (a part of) why getting out into the sunshine makes us feel good. We can create a feeling of significance just by thinking about things we’ve done well, and we can create feelings of gratitude only by being thankful. Serotonin production is one of the key reasons why so many people continue to keep gratitude diaries and achievement diaries. Writing down the things we are grateful for or recording our accomplishments not only makes us feel good, reading back over the entries causes a serotonin release that can boost our happiness. So serotonin helps remind us to practice gratitude and recognize our achievements on our journey.
Endorphins are released as a response to pain and stress and help to alleviate anxiety. Endorphins diminish the perception of pain. Most of us know that feeling of getting our ‘second wind.’ Some people call it the ‘runners high.’ That’s the endorphins kicking in. Endorphins are produced by exercise. Why not quadruple up for a real DOSE of happiness: exercise (endorphins), in the sunshine (serotonin); connecting with people you pass (oxytocin); and congratulating yourself on your progress (dopamine). Or you could laugh! One of the easiest ways to induce an endorphin release is to laugh or think about laughing. Yes, the mere expectation of laughter also causes the release of endorphins. Endorphins make for a happy journey.
So there we have it. Both questions were answered. We can get our DOSE of happiness by practicing a few simple techniques, and they are simple: Celebration to create dopamine to fuel the bus of life; connections to create oxytocin to ensure we aren’t always traveling alone; gratitude and focus on our achievements to create serotonin and ensure journey filled with gratitude and accomplishment, and laughter to boost our endorphins to ensure our journey is a happy one. Used in combination as a daily DOSE of happiness, they serve to keep us firmly in the driver’s seat in our bus of life.
We also know that not every moment will be happy. Sometimes life will give us a flat tire, or a broken window, or a million other things that can go wrong with the bus of life. We might need to get the bus serviced (chat with a professional) or clean the bus (take a vacation), but if we take our DOSE of happiness regularly, we might stay in the driver’s seat and enjoy most, if not all of the journeys.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4449495/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487779/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6596504/
Published 8/4/2020
Dr. Amar Singh, MD, and Dr. Poonam Singh, MD, are board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Obesity Medicine. They specialize in preventing, treating, and reversing chronic diseases using an evidence-based holistic approach. They are specifically interested in weight management, hormone rebalancing, and longevity. The American College of Physicians has recognized them as Fellows, FACP, for their excellence and contributions made to both medicine and the broader community. They enjoy teaching, volunteering, and advocating for their patients. Our mission is to share simple, effective, and proven strategies that lead to meaningful, sustainable, and long-lasting well-being.
