Understanding how hormones affect our physical and mental health is important because there are things that we can do to influence our brain’s production of hormones — not control, but at least influence. In a previous blog (Hormones, The Runner’s High And More) we covered how hormones affect not only how your body functions but also how they make you feel. Now let’s take a deeper dive into the so-called “feel good” hormones: Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins.

Dopamine

The key thing to understand about dopamine is that it functions as a type of reward system for your behavior. But this can be a two-edged sword. Dopamine does not judge your behavior — it can reward you for both good and bad behavior. For example, listening to a particularly beautiful piece of music can trigger its release, which encourages you to enjoy it even more. Unfortunately, consuming alcohol or some drugs can also trigger its release and, even worse, seems to trigger the release of higher doses. Much of our behavior falls somewhere between the extremes. Eating a delicious dessert gives many people a shot of dopamine. That’s great but that also encourages you to come back for seconds, which isn’t so great. If you have the will power to say no, all is well. But… well you know the rest.

Dopamine is more than a virtual reward system; it can also affect physical health. As Harvard Health Publishing points out, “Too little dopamine causes the stiff movements that are the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Although depression is more often linked to a lack of serotonin, studies find that a dopamine deficiency also contributes to a down mood. In particular, people with depression often suffer from a lack of motivation and concentration.

“Because dopamine is made from tyrosine, getting more of this amino acid from food could potentially boost dopamine levels in your brain. Some research suggests that a diet rich in tyrosine also may improve memory and mental performance.” Foods that are high in the amino acid tyrosine, which is involved in the production of dopamine, include chicken, dairy products and avocadoes.

Serotonin

The feel-good hormones are referred to as a group because they all affect feelings and moods. But there are some key differences. Research has linked low levels of serotonin, for example, to clinical depression. That’s why, as Harvard Health Publishing reports, “The most commonly used antidepressants, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain.” Sunlight has also been linked to an increase in serotonin. People who live in far northern or southern latitudes are more familiar with this issue because of the incidence of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes known as the winter blues. Other natural ways to increase serotonin include exercise, meditation and consumption of certain foods, but this last means is more complicated because of the complex way in which the brain processes amino acids.

Oxytocin

 Many people have heard oxytocin referred to as the “love hormone,” which is indeed accurate in one sense. Research indicates that physical touch of many kinds spurs its release, including hugs, massages, cuddling and sexual activity. That’s why these physical acts are such an important part of the bonding process.  But oxytocin has another extremely significant role: it is intricately involved with the process of childbirth. Harvard Health Publishing sums up its role, saying “Oxytocin both stimulates the muscles of the uterus to contract, and boosts the production of prostaglandins, which also increase uterine contractions. Women whose labor is slow to proceed are sometimes given oxytocin to speed the process. Once the baby is born, oxytocin helps to move milk from the ducts in the breast to the nipple, and to foster a bond between mom and baby.”

If the body is producing a low level of oxytocin there can be ill effects. Postpartum depression, for example, is associated with insufficient oxytocin. As with the other feel-good hormones, exercise has been proven to boost its production. Another less well researched activity that boosts oxytocin involves group activities. There is some initial research indicating cooperative games, singing as a group and even art classes can increase production.

Endorphins

As researchers increasingly study hormone production and their effects, subtle differences become apparent. Endorphins offer a good example: they have similarities with the other feel-good hormones — they create a general sense of well-being — but more importantly they are essentially the body’s natural pain killers.  This is probably why endorphins gained attention as the “runner’s high,” the body’s way of ameliorating the discomfort associated with long-distance running.

Endorphins can be naturally increased in many of the same ways the other feel-good hormones can be: through exercise, meditation, playing music and with increased levels of ultraviolet light. In addition, research continues to uncover other ways to boost endorphins, including acupuncture and laughter. In each case, the more we learn about hormones the more we understand there is a virtuous circle at play: good mental and physical health is intimately tied to a healthy lifestyle, which rewards us with a wonderful increase of feel-good hormones which encourages us to continue that lifestyle.