Happiness Hormones: Myths And Truths About These Substances
Do happiness hormones exist? One of the most frequently mentioned expressions in psychology and related sciences is that there are certain substances that, when released in our brain, induce us to a state of emotional well-being.
However, it seems somewhat simplistic to reduce an emotion as complex and abstract as happiness to a mere set of chemical reactions in our nervous system, so there is usually a certain skepticism regarding a biological vision of human behavior.
Here we are going to address the topic of What is usually understood by the concept of “happiness hormones”
One of the most heard expressions in psychology and health sciences in general is that there is something that has commonly been called “happiness hormones.” These substances that are said to harbor joy are usually the quartet of serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin. This expression, which is almost a mantra, It could sound crude and simplistic when attempting to reduce a feeling as intense and abstract as happiness to simple biochemical reactions
But, of course, our emotional states are not the product of magic. Even at the risk of falling into a too biological perspective, it is a fact that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and other psychological aspects have to be based on biological support. That support is the central nervous system, an organic machine that hosts different neurological phenomena and biochemical reactions that are behind how we feel and react.
Yes, we can affirm that happiness hormones exist although, speaking more properly, we would say that what makes us happy are actually neurotransmitters. The difference between “neurotransmitter” and “hormone” is very subtle and, in practice, few people differentiate between the two terms. Saying that serotonin is a hormone is as correct as saying that it is a neurotransmitter, although when talking about its reactions at the level of our brain the second term is preferred. The main thing is that Neurotransmitters are molecules exchanged by neurons, while hormones circulate through the bloodstream and its effects are less immediate. Many molecules that act as neurotransmitters are also hormones, depending on their location and context.
Whether we talk about neurotransmitters or hormones, the fact is that there are substances that, when released into the synaptic space of neurons, induce changes in our mood. Happiness, along with other moods, is partly a product of brain chemistry the same one on which psychopharmacology has been based to create medications aimed at improving the health of patients with different disorders by intervening in the production and reuptake of certain neurotransmitters.
What are these hormones and how far do their emotional effects go?
Although everyone has felt happiness, describing this emotion has never been an easy task. It is for this reason that for thousands of years philosophers have discussed what it means to feel happy, what causes it, how our soul behaves so that we feel happiness… This article does not prevent us from entering into a philosophical debate, so We are going to describe happiness in a more pragmatic way, using the same definition that scientists have used to search for it in the brain: it is the feeling of well-being and positive emotions that we subjectively feel when we achieve something pleasant
Based on this definition, neuroscientists and endocrinologists have established that there are a total of 4 different substances that play a fundamental role when we feel happiness: endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin.
1. Endorphins
Endorphins are neurotransmitters and hormones that generate a certain sedative effect, so they help reduce physical pain. For example, in situations in which we experience a sudden rise in stress levels, the increase in endorphins makes us feel less pain due to the eventual injuries that we may suffer in that situation associated with risk or danger.
Obviously, pain is linked to displeasure and, therefore, it can be said that it distances us from happiness, but its absence does not guarantee it either. And something can be said about the state of relaxation that endorphins sometimes provide us with; For example, we can be calm but at the same time very bored.
2. Serotonin
Serotonin is often linked to moments of well-being but the truth is that its operation is much more complex than this, and it can “unfold” through multiple pathways and chain reactions of several molecules interacting with each other and with neurons.
In fact, an excess of serotonin can have very harmful consequences for the body: the greatest exponent of this is serotonin syndrome, which can be caused as a side effect of some psychotropic drugs.
3. Dopamine
Dopamine is associated with romantic relationships and affection. However, this fact in itself gives you one of the keys why it cannot be a cause of happiness: is closely linked to social experiences that is, the interaction with other people or beings whom we love or learn to love over time.
Oxytocin is also linked to affection, but not so much to falling in love It has been seen that its presence is associated with long-term relationships, so that its release process in the human body is more stable and sustained. Now, it must also be “sustained” by something beyond the organism: those relationships with others.
You may be interested: “What is oxytocin and what functions does this hormone perform?”
The key is in the interaction between the biological and the behavioral
As we have seen, there are hormones that can be associated with certain pleasant experiences and that can participate in the process of being happy. However, happiness is a phenomenon that is too complex to be reduced to molecules, and always involves social relationships and interaction with the environment (that is, what by definition is beyond our skin).
Thus, The concept of “happiness hormones” makes sense, but it is still a simplification which we can sometimes use to explain the functioning of the parts of the body involved in emotions.
