#Chemicals March 20
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I know that certain CHEMICALS impact my brain. I didn’t know that so many of them impact a life of happiness.
It was the book Leaders Eat Last that explained four of those CHEMICALS which has led me to a conscious effort to become happier in a practical way.
The four are endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. There are the four primary chemicals in the brain that effect happiness. There is a book called “Meet Your Happy Chemicals” by Loretta Graziano Breuning that talks about each of these also. Plan on reading that in the future.
Sinek helped me understand that each happiness CHEMICAL has a unique purpose.
Endorphins purpose is to help us cover up pain. They are what makes a hard physical workout feel good.
Dopamine helps us feel satisfaction when we complete a difficult assignment or task, we check something off our daily task list, or accomplishing a goal.
Serotonin is a feeling of pride or respect. It feeds our need for approval. As Sinek says it is the feeling you get when you cross the finish line in front of a large crowd versus when no one is looking.
Oxytocin is what Sinek describes as the feeling of friendship. It is that feeling you get when friends do something remarkable for you or vice versus. With the pandemic we all need to make sure we are providing each other with Oxytocin.
The four all influence our moods and happiness. There is another CHEMICAL that Sinek talks about called Cortisol.
Cortisol is what causes stress and anxiety. It has a purpose but if our lives are constantly releasing Cortisol it has consequences. It increases aggression and shuts down a number of other bodily functions. COVID-19 is surely releasing more Cortisol than most of really need.
When we talk about finding balance in our lives it may surprise many we are talking about a CHEMICAL balance.
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