How To Boost Your Happiness! (psychologically/scientifically based)

Feelings of anxiety and stress can often be incredibly overwhelming, frequently consuming our lives and making it increasingly more difficult to focus on the many tasks we have at hand. Happiness is one way that we can overcome these emotions to reduce stress, increase our resilience, and overall achieve a healthier lifestyle. 

Have you ever had someone ask you what makes you happy? You may answer: Spending time with your family, hanging out with friends, eating your favorite food, or watching your favorite movie. While many activities may work most of the time, the most effective way to increase your happiness is to induce the production of one of these four hormones: Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, or Serotonin. Here are some other activities that are scientifically proven to induce these so-called “happy” hormones: 

Laughter. Laughing with a loved one or even a stranger is a simple way to improve your happiness. Because laughing induces the release of endorphins, dopamine, and sometimes serotonin, laughter elevates your mood and helps reduce one’s stress. 

Music. Listening to music, especially uplifting music (a summer throwback playlist always makes me happier), is a simple way to uplift your mood. A positive change in someone’s mood will also increase dopamine and serotonin hormone levels, therefore increasing your happiness. 

Kindness. Engaging in random acts of kindness is not only good for helping the rest of your community, but also it will increase your sense of connectivity with others. This is proven to overcome low mood, improve relationships with others, and decrease loneliness. These actions are caused by the increase of the hormone oxytocin, which reduces stress and is responsible for the positive effects of kindness. 

Smiling. Similar to laughter, smiling in general will often induce dopamine release and increase one’s happiness and mood. Dopamine is triggered by the release of neurotransmitters. The act of smiling activates the brain’s reward system, releasing endorphins and dopamine. In turn, smiling reduces stress and anxiety and will positively change your mood. 

Nature. Spending time reconnecting with nature helps lower blood pressure and heart rate, which lowers stress levels. Being exposed to fresh air and natural light increases serotonin levels, therefore boosting one’s mood. Nature may also trigger the release of dopamine, which also increases feelings of happiness.

Sources:

https://www.unh.edu/pacs/positive-psychology-strategies-increased-happiness 

https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone#supplements