Get Your Daily D.O.S.E. of Happiness

Did you know that you can trick your brain into being happy? Our brains produce chemicals that affect our emotional state. Four main chemicals are responsible for happiness; dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins.

You can naturally boost the levels of these chemicals to lift your mood. Here’s how.

Dopamine is associated with reward and motivation. A great way to boost your dopamine is to practice gratitude. Take a moment to be thankful for what you have. That could be a cup of hot chocolate, your favourite sweater, a sunny day, or a good friend.

Oxytocin is known as the love hormone, it is all about feeling love, bonding and attachment. Try giving yourself a hug. Go on, do it now, like you really mean it. You can also get the same effect from cuddling a pet or hugging someone else.

Serotonin helps to regulate anxiety and reduce depression. Connecting with nature is a great way to boost serotonin. Go out for a walk, hug a tree, or simply look at nature out the window, in pictures, or on TV.

Endorphins reduce pain and increase pleasure. A fun way to give yourself a boost of endorphins is to laugh out loud. You could watch a funny show or read a joke, but you don’t need to. The brain can’t tell the difference between real and fake laughter so you can just give a couple of laughs and get the same effect.

You don’t have to wait until you are feeling a bit down to use this, go ahead and try each of these techniques out daily and enjoy feeling even better.

Join me on The Midday Show to learn more about how to create your own happiness.