Describing happiness in a single concept may be arrogant on my part, since there are as many meanings as there are people in the world, which is why it invites me to make reflections based on different disciplines with the sole purpose of giving you an idea and inviting you to mobilize your resources. in all possible ways so that one day you can write your own script based on your approaches & concepts and then you will be the one who narrates your happiness.
How does happiness manifest in the body? The physical body is a channel that communicates constantly, it gives us signals that manifest different states, conditioned by the stimuli that we present to it and that finally will give us a message about how we are. Happiness in the body manifests itself in different ways, enjoyment is one of the indicators of well-being, pleasure, gratitude, just to name a few
The nervous system is directly connected to our digestive system, hence the importance of being aware of the food we consume and the stimuli with which we load our system, stimuli perceived by our nervous system and giving meaning to our internal relationship, that relationship with our awareness.
Historically, man has asked himself the question in all possible ways and in all languages, perhaps one of the most complex questions to answer, which has been debated and has even motivated man to achieve feats that are almost impossible to achieve.
Dalai Lama poses a truth: The ultimate purpose of life is to be happy, and this is achieved basically by training the mind He insists that Happiness based on external facts will be a temporary happiness or rather a false happiness.
Socrates proposed that wisdom and knowledge would guide individuals along the correct path to achieve happiness, but with the passing of the years and from the historical, cultural and social perspective, his definition has taken on a more subjective and specific meaning in each individual.
Capitalism indicates that happiness is connected to productivity, in the logic of accessing resources that support a lifestyle crossed by money. Religion connects Happiness as an act of Faith, understanding that the doors of heaven will open to us if we act in coherence with the word of God on Earth, from obedience, honoring the family and all the values of the Holy Trinity.
Psychology has strived to define happiness and in the 1930s, Abraham Maslow identified the basic needs of the individual and as they are satisfied, others of a higher or better level emerge, until reaching a peak of complete happiness. calling this hierarchy, Maslow’s Pyramid.´ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi presented us the bases of the flow experience where the individual all the time seeks new experiences that give him satisfaction. Today there is a branch of psychology called Positive or Happiness Psychology that is responsible for studying all the factors that are interrelated with the human experience of accessing the Routes of Happiness.
In economics, Richard A. Easterlin of the Department of Economics at the University of Southern California explains that life circumstances, and income growth in particular, have lasting effects on happiness. Economists recognize that this depends on a variety of circumstances in addition to material conditions, but they have long assumed a theory called “more is better.” where the main implication is that if income increases substantially, then overall well-being will move in the same direction.
What happens in our body when we are happy?
Science exposes a concept associated with the physical and genetic predisposition of the body to generate neural connections that facilitate adaptation to different environments. Being happy is an evolutionary mechanism imprinted in genes, without it, we would not be able to survive due to the fact that the search for food and the reproduction process are essential activities for survival that are related to pleasure and happiness.
In a more exact sense, happiness is a neurochemical process that can be studied from two interconnected brain systems: the limbic and the extrapyramidal. The limbic system controls our emotions and allows neurotransmitters to be released that allow information to be connected from one neuron to another, transmitting excitatory or inhibitory signals.
Only 2% of neurons secrete neurotransmitters that directly influence happiness: dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which we will address in greater depth later in the text since their production is largely associated with the lifestyle habits that each person has, understanding that stress due to the particular characteristic of secreting Cortisol which decreases the secretion of norepinephrine and serotonin in our nervous system.
The extrapyramidal system, the nucleus accumbens, is the region of our brain that classifies the sensations we perceive, is responsible for rational behaviors, and helps us make conscious decisions. Depression occurs because the circuits suffer an imbalance where dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which are interconnected, have a significant decrease, this is due to different factors associated with the environment and predisposition, which can be adjusted or not. depending on the psychic resources and care habits you have; Food, exercise, habits such as meditation are on the list of activities that best stimulate happiness.
Joy, pleasure and satisfaction. What to expect? These three states are often confused, we are going to differentiate them since all three invite us to different experiences and are triggered by similar neurotransmitters but they are not the same.
Dopamine, serotonin and happiness
Joy is an emotion, it usually occurs as a response to an external or internal situation that makes us feel very good and which we generally manifest with laughter or even a feeling of euphoria, can last up to a couple of weeks and tends to trigger a state with greater durability: happiness.
Pleasure is related to pleasurable experiences closely connected to the senses, just like satisfaction, they are instantaneous or momentary sensations produced exogenously; Generally, the person who manifests it has a lack of perspective in some situation and in compensation for this, they look for material stimuli (buying, erratic consumption) that lead to a feeling of satisfaction, but this results in a lack of dopamine that is not sustainable in the body, in fact it is as fleeting as an instant, regarding Dopamine.
Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters of the Central Nervous System which participates in the regulation of various functions such as motor behavior, emotionality and affectivity as well as neuroendocrine communication. Released by the hypothalamus and stimulated by activities such as exercising and those that have to do with approval, for example when you are in love there is high dopaminergic activity.
Understand that it is volatile since in the same way it rises, in the same way it decreases, for this reason my therapeutic recommendation is to be very conscious in the regulation, so we avoid those mood drops. Activities such as meditation facilitate control in the body and stimulate serotonin, another neurotransmitter responsible for well-being.
Unlike the previous one, Serotonin is a stable neurotransmitter that is capable of remaining in the body constantly if stimulated correctly with healthy habits that impact the person’s well-being.
It is a neurotransmitter related to the control of emotions and mood. Necessary for the balance of our body. It is produced in the stomach, specifically associated with the digestion processes, for this reason there is a close relationship between the nutrients and food that we deliver to our cells and emotional well-being, in addition:
Also known as the hormone of happiness, if it increases levels in the neural circuits, the person experiences a feeling of well-being, tranquility, calm, relaxation, satisfaction, and increases concentration and self-esteem To produce Serotonin, the body needs a substance called tryptophan, which cannot be produced by itself, therefore we must obtain it from foods, among the most notable: Eggs – Pasta – Rice – Dairy – Cereals – Chicken – Turkey – Bananas – Legumes.
We also increase serotonin levels through regular physical exercise, relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, changes in activity, travel, new projects and healthy leisure help maintain and even increase serotonin levels. serotonin production. Low levels of serotonin are associated with mental illnesses, such as autism, schizophrenia, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, aggression, insomnia, stress, among others.
Understand that as people we are responsible for our well-being, that our body is a reflection of the care we give it and that of course our mental and emotional health also become part of this two-way relationship. Learning to listen to and feel our body is one of the great challenges we face today that is why practicing silence and meditation as sources of connection with ourselves is a true gift.
There are many studies that show that healthy habits positively impact people’s lives in the different dimensions of the being and it is always a good time to change our care habits, understanding that our neuroplastic brain adapts and adjusts to constant stimuli. , generating learning that is permanently installed. If you want to know the wellness programs that I accompany, I invite you to visit my website: www.terapeutaholistica.co
