Happiness & Your Body

Hello & welcome to discovering your body…

Our bodies are remarkable machines. Organic & flexible. They rise to most occasions when we need it, but when they are not treated well, the results can literally be painful. Our mind & bodies are running things in the background while we are busy living our best lives out here.

It should be said that happiness has two underlying factors. You have your endogenic factors like your biological, personality, cognitive & ethical sub-factors. Then you have your exogenic factors like your behavioral, social cultural, & life events sub-factors. Each of these factors weigh differently on your happiness set level.

Happiness Set Point – A review.

Your happiness set point is the base point of your happiness. You can feel feelings of euphoria increasing your happiness or feel feelings of stress & negative emotion. Either way you go, you will eventually go back to your happiness set point.

The same way that you adjust to your base income level, you will adjust to your base happiness level or happiness set point.

Check out more information about your happiness set point & the search of happiness here – https://myhappiness.coach/2024/05/13/in-search-of-happiness/.

Biology for the win!

Studies have been done & published about the science of happiness, but across all factors that lead to happiness (endogenic or exogenic) the biological sub-factor is weighted more heavily. What that means is that our biology, the very fabric in which we are made from, plays a much bigger role on our levels of happiness than any exogenic or even other endogenic sub-factors.

Happiness comes from within!

All the scientific terms may have your head spinning but the basic thought is that the biological factors are marked predictors of happiness levels. That leads me to the study of psychobiology (biological psychology or biopsychology) which ushers in the findings from neuroscience, biology & psychology to the happiness discussion.

Studies have shown that genetic factors have a big impact on your happiness. Long story short, your have genes in your genetic makeup that have been found to directly influence happiness. These genes (5-HTTLPR & MAO-A) code for mood regulation through serotonin distribution through the brain or through the breakdown of serotonin, dopamine, & noradrenalin.

Mood, emotions, & happiness within the brain.

Did you know that the front of your brain (your prefrontal cortex) reacts differently to positive or negative emotions? It’s true, studies have shown through fMRIs and EEGs that the left side is activated with positive emotions & the right side is activated with negative emotions.

Then comes in the limbic system, which is impressive as it plays a role in regulating, not only emotions, but memory, motivation, & behavior. When it comes to the regulation of emotions this system in your brain processes & interprets emotions.

Neurotransmitters & hormones the driving force of happiness

Dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, & melatonin are the neurotransmitters/hormones that have an effect on your happiness through your genes. Each neurotransmitter or hormone is coded by a specific gene and that determines your levels of neurotransmitters which has a clear & direct effect on your happiness.

A breakdown of function.

Here is a brief list of how the following neurotransmitter/hormones effects your happiness:

Dopamine – showed in increased levels when experiencing positive emotions & plays a role in motivation & pleasure.
Serotonin – plays a role in regulating mood & sleep (among other things) & is used in anti-depressants called SSRIs, which increases the amount of serotonin in the brain.
Norepinephrine – is key to the fight or flight response & is vital in the body’s reaction to stress, therefore it is involved in mood function, & used in selective antidepressants.
Endorphins – are not actually a neurotransmitter or hormone, but endogenous opioid peptides that are released when you experience pain or pleasure, they block pain & are released during activities like exercise, sex, laugher, love leading to feelings of happiness.
Melatonin – is for regulating sleep, this hormone increases your happiness by impacting your well-being through circadian rhythm regulation (your sleep cycle).
Cortisol – is involved in stress management, low levels can be seen when experiencing happiness or positive emotions.
Adrenaline – is typically involved in the fight or flight response & is similar to the effects of cortisol, so you will see lower and more stable levels in people with high levels of personal-development & life purpose.
Oxytocin – called the “love hormone” & released during positive social interactions, which can lead to sense of happiness & well-being.