Definitions & How to Boost Them

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When you do things that make you feel good, such as connecting with a friend or eating ice cream, your brain is releasing what scientists call “happy hormones.” These hormones got their nickname because of the positive feelings they produce. 

These “happy hormones” are:

• Dopamine helps us feel pleasure and is involved in the brain’s reward system.  
• Serotonin helps us boost our mood and regulate our sleep.
• Oxytocin is produced when we bond with others and is often called “the love hormone.”
• Endorphins are nicknamed the brain’s natural pain reliever.

These feel-good hormones promote happiness, pleasure, and positive emotions. It’s only natural for us to keep seeking pleasure: when hormones are released, they are quickly metabolized, which makes us want to get more.
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If you want a quick overview of how some of these happy hormones work and what you can do to increase their levels, you can check out the video below:

Although some people argue happiness is “an inside job”, often there are things you can do to make yourself happier. The cool thing about these happiness hormones is that you have a say when they are released. Whether you have a good laugh with your friend or do some exercise, your brain is releasing these feel-good hormones.

Also, because many of the ways you can boost the feel-good hormones are related to other people, you may benefit from strengthening interpersonal connections and building connections as well. Research consistently shows the key to a happy life is the quality of our relationships. One classic example is the famous 75-year-long Harvard study that offers an interesting perspective of what a good life really looks like. The result clearly showed that good relationships keep us happier and healthier.

You can watch the study’s director TEDx Talk below and learn more about the importance of healthy relationships:

Dopamine can not only provide an intense feeling of reward but also enhances the expectation of pleasure (Sharot et al., 2009). The dopamine hormone basically drives your brain’s reward system and influences motivation. A marathon runner gets a surge of dopamine when she crosses the finish line. You get a “dopamine rush” when you eat those warm cookies or when you finish a satisfying shopping trip. Because you get a dopamine boost when you eat those delicious cookies, you might also come back for a few more.

Some potential ways to boost your dopamine levels are to:

• Eat healthfully. Dopamine is created from tyrosine, an amino acid. Tyrosine-rich foods may boost dopamine levels in your brain and even improve memory. Some foods high in tyrosine include meat, dairy, legumes, soy, and eggs.
• Sleep. Sleep deprivation has many serious side effects and can even impact dopamine receptors. Studies show that when people are sleep-deprived, it makes it harder for the brain to respond to dopamine (Volkow et al., 2012). However, getting enough high-quality sleep has the opposite effect: it keeps your dopamine levels balanced (Korshunov, 2017), which has the potential to increase positive feelings.
• Meditate. Meditation is an old practice of clearing your mind and training your awareness in a non-judgmental way. Although when we think about meditation, we typically think about reducing anxiety or relieving stress, studies show that mediation has positive effects on dopamine. Specifically, in a study with meditation teachers, dopamine levels increase by 64% after meditating for only one hour (Kjaer et al., 2002), making meditation an easy way to boost dopamine levels. 
• Listen to music. Music is a great addition to alone time or social activities. Listening to music increases brain activity in areas that are rich in dopamine receptors (Koelsch, 2014). Also, the brain releases dopamine when the emotional state is at the highest level (Salimpoor et al., 2011). So go and listen to your favorite song.

Serotonin is involved in many functions and behaviors, such as memory, sleep, and stress response. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression. A common medication treatment is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), which work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain.

Read on to see how you can increase your serotonin levels naturally:

• Exercise. You’ve probably heard or experienced the “runner’s high” after an intense workout. Serotonin levels significantly increase after doing any workout exercises, such as biking, dancing, or weight-lifting. You can get creative and attend a dance class or anything that brings you pleasure, as long as it gets your heart rate up. Research clearly shows the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects between mood and exercise (Young, 2007).
• Get some light. When you spend at least 15 minutes outside every day, your serotonin levels significantly increase. You can get a quick workout outside, go for a hike, or even take a short walk around the neighborhood to boost your serotonin levels, especially during the colder months (Sansone & Sansone, 2013).
• Get a massage. Not only can massages be extremely relaxing, but they can also increase your levels of serotonin and dopamine (Field et al., 2005). Short bits are all you need since studies show that pregnant women who received 20 minutes of massage therapy twice a week had higher levels of serotonin and felt less anxious and depressed (Field et al., 2004).
• Eat well. Tryptophan, an amino acid, increases brain serotonin and is an effective antidepressant for mild depression. One food containing more tryptophan than other proteins is milk, so consuming milk-derivates, such as yogurt or kefir, may increase your serotonin levels (Young, 2007). ​

Oxytocin, often called “the love hormone,” plays an important role in bonding, both for kids and adults. There are many ways your body produces oxytocin, from a mother breastfeeding her newborn baby to you supporting a close friend in time of need.

Here are a few ways you can boost your oxytocin levels:

• Show affection. Considering oxytocin is “the love hormone,” physical intimacy boosts this hormone. You can hug, cuddle, kiss, or hold hands to increase oxytocin production. Try kissing your partner, cuddling a puppy, or sharing a long hug with your friend and benefit from the feel-good hormone (Uvnas et al., 2015). 
• Connect. Your oxytocin levels increase when you talk to your loved ones or even think about them. You can also give compliments to them or do small random acts of kindness, which can not only make their days better but can make yours too (Uvnas et al., 2015).
• Share. In wild chimpanzees, food-sharing increases oxytocin levels regardless of whether they were close before or not (Wittig et al., 2014). So why not cook with your friend? Cooking is a great way to bond over something delicious and a fun way to potentially increase oxytocin levels.

Endorphins are also called “the body’s natural painkillers” because they play an important role in the body’s ability to manage pain and experience pleasure (Sprouse-Blum et al., 2010). The body actually releases endorphins when an injury or something physically painful happens, such as a sprained ankle or a deep cut. However, there are some things you can do to increase endorphins naturally:

• Eat dark chocolate. If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, you should know that eating a piece can stimulate the release of endorphins (Nehlig, 2013). However, you should only eat dark chocolate (or any other sweets) in moderation; otherwise, it can have negative effects on your health.
• Laugh. Who doesn’t like a good laugh? Laughing is a good way to connect with others and destress. You can watch your favorite comedy show, go to a stand-up comedy jam, or call a friend to catch up. All these activities boost the body’s endorphins and also play a role in social bonding (Dunbar et al., 2012). If you don’t like to watch comedies, you can still have the same positive effects by watching drama (Dunbar et al., 2016). Learn more facts about laughter here.
• Be active. Although moderate-intensity exercise is best for boosting endorphins, it’s not the only type of activity that has this potential. You can dance at home or go on a short hike, anything that keeps you active (Tarr et al., 2015). 

Doing exercises is related to an increase in levels of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins and has many well-established benefits related to your mental health and physical health. You can check out this TED Talk by neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, who talks about how working out boosts your mood and memory and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Want to learn more about happiness hormones? Here are some more articles to read.​

• Dunbar, R. I. M., Teasdale, B., Thompson, J., Budelmann, F., Duncan, S., van Emde Boas, E., & Maguire, L. (2016). Emotional arousal when watching drama increases pain threshold and social bonding. Royal Society open science, 3(9), 160288.
• Dunbar, R. I., Baron, R., Frangou, A., Pearce, E., Van Leeuwen, E. J., Stow, J., … & Van Vugt, M. (2012). Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1731), 1161-1167.
• Field, T., Diego, M. A., Hernandez-Reif, M., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2004). Massage therapy effects on depressed pregnant women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 25(2), 115-122.
• Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Diego, M., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2005). Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy. International Journal of neuroscience, 115(10), 1397-1413.
• Kjaer, T. W., Bertelsen, C., Piccini, P., Brooks, D., Alving, J., & Lou, H. C. (2002). Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness. Cognitive Brain Research, 13(2), 255-259.
• Koelsch, S. (2014). Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(3), 170-180.
• Nehlig, A. (2013). The neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive performance. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 75(3), 716-727.​
• Salimpoor, V. N., Benovoy, M., Larcher, K., Dagher, A., & Zatorre, R. J. (2011). Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. Nature neuroscience, 14(2), 257-262.
• Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2013). Sunshine, serotonin, and skin: a partial explanation for seasonal patterns in psychopathology?. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 10(7-8), 20.
• Sprouse-Blum, A. S., Smith, G., Sugai, D., & Parsa, F. D. (2010). Understanding endorphins and their importance in pain management. Hawaii medical journal, 69(3), 70.
• Tarr, B., Launay, J., Cohen, E., & Dunbar, R. (2015). Synchrony and exertion during dance independently raise pain threshold and encourage social bonding. Biology letters, 11(10), 20150767.
• Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Handlin, L., & Petersson, M. (2015). Self-soothing behaviors with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 1529.
• Volkow, N. D., Tomasi, D., Wang, G. J., Telang, F., Fowler, J. S., Logan, J., … & Ferré, S. (2012). Evidence that sleep deprivation downregulates dopamine D2R in ventral striatum in the human brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(19), 6711-6717.
• Wittig, R. M., Crockford, C., Deschner, T., Langergraber, K. E., Ziegler, T. E., & Zuberbühler, K. (2014). Food sharing is linked to urinary oxytocin levels and bonding in related and unrelated wild chimpanzees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1778), 20133096.
• Young, S. N. (2007). How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience: JPN, 32(6), 394.