Our body has glands that secrete hormones and neurotransmitters which provide us a sense of joy, peace and tranquility for both body and mind. They are called “Happiness Hormones”. The 4 main “Happiness Hormones” are Dopamine, Oxytocin, Endorphins and Serotonin. There is extensive and detailed scientific information about them, and about the conditions and sensations that cause our brain and body to secrete each one. There are drugs that contain them or enhance their functions in our body. The question is why it is so difficult to achieve happiness by utilizing these hormones.
The Scope of Happiness Hormones Effects
Seeing that achieving happiness is a major human purpose, people conduct themselves, each in their own individual way towards this purpose. The happiness and tranquility hormones are continuously secreted into our bodies due to, or as a result of, good experiences and events or even just good thoughts or memories. The continuous secretion and consumption of happiness hormones is an essential and necessary need without which we cannot live. To illustrate this, we will examine a situation in which we are precluded a sufficient supply of such hormones. During the 1940’s, researcher René Spitz conducted a methodical study of children who lived in hospitals, with no father, mother or parent figure present. These children did not experience love, an embrace, sufficient attention, and a proper response to their cries and needs. They showed signs of delayed development, were quieter than regular children and their condition slowly declined. Half of them passed away and those who survived did not develop and function normally. The clear conclusion was that children die because of lack of love, human contact, sufficient attention, and consideration of their needs. In other words, it is evident from the study that it is impossible to survive without the ongoing secretion of happiness hormones.
The Balance between Stress Hormones and Happiness Hormones
The stress hormones (Adrenaline and mainly Cortisol) that are also secreted continuously in our body, as a response to events, thoughts, or emotions, are also essential and, in their absence, we will find it difficult to cope with the challenges facing us along the way. They are essential also due to other effects that they have on our body and yet, their elevated, continuous, and uncontrolled presence (especially Cortisol) might cause severe physical damage, even death.
If you decide that you want to see how to change your day, than take some spare moments to sit quietly and think about how you can improve Monday or Tuesday. Go through the days of the week and make a preliminary plan for each day. If your plan doesn’t work well, than try doing something different until you have the right plan for each day. It sounds too easy, but it does take time and effort to change our days and make them better. The wonderful news that makes all this effort worth while is that a good day every day ultimately makes a good life.
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June Stepansky is a published writer and poet who writes books and articles about happiness, self-improvement and social and political issues. Her poetry has been published in the literary magazine Vol No 21 Childhood and in Vol No 22. Poems that Need to be Explained.
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