By Savannah Moscon

Intro

In the world of modern medicine, it is important to remember that we can wield immense control over our happiness and health through the practice of accessible, positive habits.

First – what is happiness, according to neuroscience? Many may associate happiness and dopamine, but dopamine – as is explored in the book “The Molecule of More” – is more accurately described as the molecule of desire. Dopamine signaling is heavily involved in addicts’ drive to use drugs or alcohol but is also involved in the pull towards common everyday desires, like the drive to consume junk food, social media, TV, and even gossip.  

Fulfillment, pleasure, or satisfaction arise from serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins, endocannabinoids – chemicals that scientists have classified as the “Here and Now” (H&N) neurotransmitters, because they arise from activities that enhance focus on the present experience. This long-term satisfaction is more reliant on a person’s day-to day habits than on short-lived indulgences. Five key practices are robustly shown to be associated with attaining these H&N molecules, thereby promoting happiness and long-term health: mindfulness, social connection, sleep, diet, and exercise.

Mindfulness

Buddhist meditation, a dedicated practice of mindfulness, dates back 2500 years and is only growing in popularity today. Mindfulness – the practice of being fully aware of what you are presently sensing and feeling – is accessible and beneficial to everyone. Research shows immense health benefits connected to practicing mindfulness; for one thing, it mediates the release of H&N neurotransmitters associated with happiness and overall emotional balance.

Practicing mindfulness improves emotional regulation and impulse control, enhances positive emotions, increases empathy, and reduces ruminative thinking and mind wandering.¹ Harvard researchers have found that about half of our day is spent thinking about the future or the past, but people are happiest when fully immersed in the present moment.² This focus on the present is the core concept of mindfulness, and explains why this practice can make you happier. In fact, mindfulness-based therapies have shown more consistent efficacy in treating depression than antidepressant medication.³

Mindfulness can also benefit physical health by reducing pain signaling in the brain. This includes physical and emotional pain, as both are processed through the same sensory pathways.⁴ Meditation is a potent stress relief technique because it reduces cortisol levels and decreases thought processes associated with emotional stress. Mitigating emotional stress can reduce the risk of infection, insulin resistance, gastrointestinal problems, and mental illness, and improves the immune system’s ability to manage pathologies linked to cancer risk.⁵ Meditation also protects against grey matter atrophy, a common pathology of neurodegenerative disease.⁶ To read more about the extensive changes that occur in the brain and body from practicing meditation, check out this article!

The easiest mindfulness practice to add to your routine is paying attention to your breath.⁷ Try this when you feel the need to refocus or are feeling frazzled or overwhelmed. From there, concentrate on any input from your five senses to keep you grounded in the present. Incorporating these basic mindfulness practices can enhance H&N neurotransmission throughout your day.

Social Connection

Social connection has been found to reduce pain and increase the release of endorphins and other H&N neurotransmitters.⁸ The world’s longest study on adult development has found that people with higher-quality social connections are happier, healthier, and live longer. Social isolation, meanwhile, is strongly associated with declining health and brain function earlier in life; in fact, those that are socially isolated have nearly twice the risk of all-cause mortality.⁹ Socially isolated individuals have higher blood pressure, cortisol levels, and inflammatory factors than those with higher quality social ties.¹⁰

So – how can you improve the quality of your social connections? Relationships flourish between those that have common goals, honor and respect each other’s differences, and prioritize quality time together. It’s important to learn how to recognize and express your emotions in a healthy way for efficient communication with family and friends. Stronger social connections can further be forged by to talking about differences instead of avoiding conflict, listening with the purpose of understanding others’ viewpoints, and remaining open to learning from others. Our evolution has relied on our social networks, so prioritizing this aspect of life is imperative to health and well-being.

Sleep

Sleep plays a crucial role in regulating mood, energy levels, and the neurochemical processes that contribute to overall well-being. Sleep helps process recent emotional experiences, which aids in managing those emotions in the future. Sleep disturbances are hence linked to mood disorders.¹¹

Research has found that sleeplessness increases the amount of dopamine signaling in the brain, which is likely to alleviate cognitive deficits following lack of sleep, as dopamine plays a role in cognition.¹² However, this can also lead to unhealthy dopamine-driven behaviors, making people less likely to engage in activities that increase H&N signaling (the activities on this list). As a result of dysregulated dopamine signaling, sleeplessness can frequently lead to more sleeplessness.¹³

A regular sleep routine benefits more than just mood. Research has shown that people working night shifts have a dramatically increased risk of many diseases including cancer and heart disease, likely due to circadian rhythm disruption and social strain.¹⁴ Hence, it is pivotal to make a healthy sleep routine a top priority for your health and mental well-being.

The best ways to improve your sleep are to get up at the same time every day, and establish a nighttime routine in which you avoid food, water, caffeine, alcohol, electronics, excessive noise, and bright light before bed. Bright morning light can help you wake up earlier, but bright light at night can actually cause a “phase delay” meaning you are driven to wake up later.  Hence, timing your light exposure is also pivotal for healthy sleep.

Diet

Eating healthy literally means providing your body’s cells with the best fuel, at a biochemical level. The Western diet of “processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer” has been strongly associated with a higher prevalence of mental disorders such as major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and anxiety disorders.¹⁶

The food you consume plays a direct role in neurotransmission. In fact, 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut, so giving the gut what it needs to function properly is of pivotal importance! Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, unprocessed grains, and seafood promote efficient neurotransmitter production and regulation which is associated with happiness.

Unfortunately, 92% of Americans have some vitamin or mineral deficiency. Food choices are easily driven by dopamine, not H&N neurotransmitters. Life may be just a bit sweeter by skipping the sweets and reaching for food that is proven to make you happier and healthier (those that contain necessary nutrients). The best advice to adopting a happier diet is to start by increasing vegetables and whole grains in your diet and limiting less healthy options, which can be more psychologically challenging.

Exercise

Exercise causes a release of H&N neurotransmitters and is extremely effective at preventing anxiety, depression, and chronic stress.¹⁷ Establishing and maintaining a progressive exercise routine can further benefit mental health by providing a regular sense of personal achievement.

Beyond the mental benefits, the physical benefits are immense – check out the CDC’s list of health benefits of exercise for the specifics. Strikingly, those that regularly participate in aerobic and muscle strengthening activities have a 40% reduction in risk of all-cause mortality.¹⁸ Exercise is one of the most important thing you can do to improve your longevity and well-being.

To begin prioritizing exercise in your routine, remember that lasting change happens one step at a time. You might begin with progressively increasing daily step goals, for example. Experiment with systems and styles of exercise that fit your lifestyle and that you enjoy. Don’t be afraid to try new sports and activities to find enjoyable ways to get active!

Conclusions

If you think that you don’t have time to prioritize your happiness because you are too busy, remember that you do not need to choose between happiness and your other life goals. Healthy habits that improve your well-being enhance your energy and focus throughout the day, increasing your productivity and overall happiness. We all have busy lives, and initially, the thought of incorporating a new routine or practice may seem overwhelming; however, taking time for rest and self-care can ease your stress. Your unconscious mind is an important processor of information¹⁹ – that’s why your best ideas often arise when you step away from a task. Without taking time for your health and happiness, it is difficult to work efficiently and bring the best ideas to the table. Hopefully, mastering these habits will become a life-long journey, so remember to start small and make your wellbeing a priority!

TL;DR

• Five key practices associated with promoting happiness are mindfulness, social connection, sleep, diet, and exercise
• Happy habits improve your energy and focus throughout the day
• Making small and achievable changes toward prioritizing your wellbeing will make you happier and more productive!

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Reference

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