Don’t be fooled…
This is not some long scientific blog post telling you how to increase your happiness through the use of medication or supplements.
It is a cheat sheet guide highlighting all the natural and simple ways you can support your feel-good hormones.
Here are 61 ways to boost your dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphin levels each day.
The brain’s happy chemicals explained
Feeling happy is a wonderful and complex emotion that happens in our brains.
It’s influenced by special chemicals called neurotransmitters and hormones. These little helpers play an important role in controlling our mood, emotions and stress response.
Some of the key happy chemicals are Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins (D.O.S.E).
Let’s take a look into why each one is super important for overall health and well-being.
Dopamine
Dopamine is our reward chemical.
It is responsible for making us feel pleasure and motivated when we do something rewarding or enjoyable.
You might be familiar with the trend of doing a “dopamine detox” — this essentially means cutting out anything that gives us instant gratification like an Instagram “like” or new follower request, winning a video game or eating pizza.
The feeling that these rewards create only last a few minutes and can cause a dopamine crash straight away which can disrupt our mood and emotions.
It’s therefore essential to choose dopamine-boosting activities that provide a lasting feel-good factor long after the initial pleasure wears off.
Signs of low dopamine levels can include:
- Lack of motivation
- Brain fog
- Anxiety or depression
- Low sex drive
- Trouble sleeping
Oxytocin
If Aphrodite — the Greek Goddess of love, was a happy hormone, she would be Oxytocin.
Oxytocin (not to be confused with oxycontin because that would be awkward) is our love hormone.
It is responsible for nurturing our empathy and plays a big role in creating social bonds and trust with people we care about, making us feel warm and connected.
Signs of low oxytocin levels can include:
- Poor communication with others
- Lack of empathy
- Difficulty forming connections
- Increased feelings of loneliness
- Fear
Serotonin
Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that helps regulate our moods and emotions whether they are good or bad.
It is a super complex chemical that also helps to balance our sleep, memory, cognitive function and appetite. In fact, 80% of the body’s serotonin is found in the gut microbiome which is why being hungry is often linked to being in a bad mood.
I mean hands up if you also get super hangry around mid-day?!
Signs of low serotonin levels can include:
- Low moods and depression
- Anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Digestive problems
- OCD
Endorphins
Endorphins are another chemical that create a long-lasting feeling of happiness.
Think of endorphins as your natural mood boosters and pain relievers. They are released when we’re stressed or in pain making us feel happy and euphoric.
Endorphins also play a significant role in easing depression.
How do we know that?
Because endorphins are the famous chemicals that are released during exercise, and numerous studies have consistently shown the positive impact exercise has on those struggling with depression.
Signs of low endorphins levels can include:
- Persistent aches and pains
- Mood swings
- Increased stress
- Depression
- Addiction
Benefits of boosting your happy chemicals
Now that we have looked at each of our happy chemicals in further detail, let’s now take a look at the benefits of boosting your happy chemicals.
Not only can dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins support a healthy mental and emotional state by promoting feelings of happiness while reducing depression and anxiety, but they also benefit physical well-being too.
So naturally boosting your happy chemicals is a win-win either way.
Other benefits include:
- Enhanced emotional resilience
- Reduced feelings of anxiety and depression
- Boosted mood
- Less stress
- Better sleep
- Improved immune system function
- Increased motivation and commitment
- Strengthened social connections and relationships
- Increased productivity, focus and mental clarity
- Heightened sense of well-being and contentment
- Overall improved life satisfaction
61 Natural ways to get your daily D.O.S.E of happy chemicals
Now that you’ve learnt the basics of your body’s happy chemicals you, can take conscious steps to prioritise your health and well-being every day for a happier and more fulfilling life.
Each activity listed below is extremely straightforward and the majority of them are free.
So there really isn’t any excuse to try them out.
Test out these simple activities below and give your feel-good hormones a natural daily boost.
I encourage you to bookmark this page so you can refer back to it whenever you need a happiness boost.
Dopamine; activities for motivation and reward
- Listen to feel-good music
- Finish a task and check it off your list
- Complete a jigsaw puzzle
- Regularly reflect on your progress and celebrate your wins
- Eat lots of protein especially foods rich in tyrosine such as fish, eggs, bananas and avocados.
- Try a new creative hobby
- Set yourself a challenge — I’m currently doing the 30-day plank challenge
- Write a feel-good rewards list which doesn’t include anything related to food or drink
- Dedicate time to your favourite self-care activities depending on your needs
- Engage in a fun new group workout
- Stimulate your vagus nerve
- Try cold water therapy — turn your shower to its coldest setting 30 seconds before you get out
- Engage in new experiences
- Go on a solo adventure for the day or even consider solo travelling
- Laugh! (for the first time)
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Oxytocin; activities for love and connection
- Have a hug with a loved one or pet
- Give a compliment to someone you know or a stranger
- Smile at the next person you see
- Spend quality time with friends and family
- Engage in physical touch like holding hands and PDA
- Perform acts of kindness for others
- Start a cycle of encouragement and message a friend to say why you appreciate them
- Take yourself on a solo date and nurture the relationship you have with yourself
- Look at yourself naked in the mirror and repeat a positive affirmation
- Write down one thing you love about yourself
- Phone a friend and reminisce with them
- Go to a group exercise class
- Meet up with a new friend or recent connection
- Join a club or attend more in-person events
- Learn to actively listen to others
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Serotonin; activities for good mood
- Expose yourself to the sun for at least 10-15 minutes
- Start your day with a savoury breakfast high in protein
- Eat more foods that contain tryptophan (an amino acid) like salmon, turkey and tofu
- Spend time in nature
- Take your exercise routine outside
- Journal your thoughts out on paper
- Write a gratitude list
- Spend time with people who lift you up rather than put you down
- Volunteer for a worthy cause
- Engage in creative activities like painting, drawing or arts and crafts
- Play a board game from your childhood
- Limit daily alcohol and caffeine intake
- Learn to cope with stress in a healthy way
- Watch your favourite feel-good show (Gilmore Girls anyone?!)
- Get adequate sleep — build an evening routine to prepare you for rest
- Laugh! (for the second time)
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Endorphins; activities for pain or stress
- Exercise — keep it gentle with yoga or do a higher-intensity workout
- Take part in a fun run
- Go on a bike ride around the park
- Try a new physical activity like rock climbing or rollerskating
- Play an outdoor game from your childhood like Hide and Seek
- Climb a tree or jump in some puddles
- Swim in the morning
- Eat some dark chocolate
- Try acupuncture or get a massage
- Have great sex with a partner or masturbate
- Dance like no one is watching
- Meditate for as little as 3-minutes
- Surround your space with aromatherapy essential oils
- Eat spicy foods
- Laugh! (for the third but not last time)
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Final thoughts
It’s important to remember that happiness is not just about boosting these four happy chemicals.
Happiness comes from a mix of many things that make you feel good. For example, your surroundings or circumstances, who you choose to socialise with and life experiences all play an important part in how you experience happiness.
But it still all starts with you.
You have the power to be in control of your own life.
You have the power to create your own version of healthy and deeply fulfilling life.
So do what you need to do but don’t underestimate the value of your happy chemicals and start prioritising them today.
You’ve got this,
Thalia xx
Disclaimer: This blog post has been written based on my own experience with D.O.S.E and I share these tips in the hope they will inspire you in some way. I am in no way medically trained on this topic. The content found in this article is not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of medical advice.
