We get tons of tips on how to be happy from people who don't know what they are talking about. Don't trust them. In fact, don't believe me either. Trust Neurologists! They've been studying the gray matter in your head for years and have learned a lot to answer the question of what makes us happy.
4 Good Habits
of a Happy Brain
Sometimes it seems like our brains don't want us to be happy. We tend to feel guilty or ashamed. Why? Believe it or not, guilt and shame activate the reward center in the brain! For all the difference, pride, shame, and guilt all activate the same neural circuits.
Interestingly, pride is the most powerful of these emotions, triggering activity in all areas except the nucleus acumens, where guilt and shame are more pronounced. This explains why some of us tend to build up feelings of guilt and shame - these emotions activate the brain's reward center.
You worry a lot. Why? In the short term, worry makes your brain feel a little better - at least you are doing ANYTHING to solve the problem. Anxiety calms the limbic system by increasing activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and decreasing activity in the amygdale. It may seem counterintuitive, but if you are feeling anxious, doing anything - even just worrying - is better than doing nothing.
Guilt, shame, and anxiety are not the best solutions to a problem in the short term.
What do
neurosciences advise us?
Ask
yourself a question: WHAT CAN I BE GRATEFUL FOR?
Gratitude is an amazing feeling ... but does it affect the brain on a biological level? It turns out, yes. Do you know how the antidepressant Wilburton works? Increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Gratitude does the same.
Feelings of gratitude activate an area of the brain stem that produces dopamine. In addition, gratitude to others increases the activity of social dopamine bonds, which make interaction with other people more enjoyable.
Do you know how Prozac works? Increases the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Gratitude does the same.
Think about the things you can be grateful for and you will increase your focus on the positive aspects of your life. It immediately increases serotonin production in the anterior cingulated cortex.
Sometimes life strikes us hard, and there seems to be nothing to be grateful for. But it is not finding a specific item to express gratitude that matters, but a reminder of what to put first in life.
Learning to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence. Research shows that its development affects the density of neurons in the ventricular and lateral prefrontal cortex. As emotional intelligence increases, neurons in these areas become more efficient. The higher your emotional intelligence, the easier it is to be grateful.
Gratitude doesn't just make your brain feel happy - it also strengthens your relationships with those around you. So often express gratitude to people you care about.
But what happens when negative feelings take over you completely? When you really walk as if dropped into the water, being in a despondent and depressed state, and do not know what to do with it?
2. Name negative feelings
You feel terrible. Let's give this nightmare a name. Are you sad? Are you worried? Are you angry? It's that simple. Does it sound silly to you?
In one study, participants looked at images of people whose faces expressed different emotions. Of course, each participant's cerebellar amygdala was activated by viewing. But when people were asked to name an emotion, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex was activated and decreased the emotional response of the amygdale. In other words, purposeful awareness of emotions reduces their effects. Conversely, intentionally suppressing emotions does not work and can only make the problem worse.
People trying to suppress negative emotional experiences were unable to do so effectively, because despite the absence of external manifestations, their internal limbic system remained as aroused as before conscious suppression, and in some cases, even more. Therefore, the ability to identify and name your negative feelings is of great importance.
To reduce arousal, you only need to use a few words to describe the emotion, and ideally you should use symbolic language - any indirect metaphors that describe your experience. Metaphorization requires further activation of the prefrontal cortex, which reduces the excitation of the limbic system. Describing an emotion in one or two words will help you reduce its impact.
Our ancestors practiced these methods long before us. Meditation has been used for centuries. Identifying and naming emotions is the main tool of self-awareness techniques.
Emotion naming works well when interacting with other people. In particular, naming emotions is one of the tools that the FBI uses when negotiating the release of hostages.
I hope you are not reading this article tagging your current emotional state as "boredom." Maybe you don't feel terrible, but there are a number of things in your life that make you stressful . How to deal with this?
3. Make decisions
Have you ever noticed that once you make a decision, your brain feels a little calmer? This is no accident. Science proves that decision making reduces anxiety and anxiety - while helping you cope with the problems that arise.
Decision making involves creating intention and setting a goal - all three components are part of the same neural network and positively affect the prefrontal cortex, reducing anxiety and anxiety.
Making a decision also helps to overcome the activity of the stratum, which usually tilts us towards negative impulses and habitual routines. Ultimately, decision making changes your perception of the world and calms the limbic system.
Decision making is a difficult process. I agree. But what kind of decisions should you make? Scientists have an answer to this! Make a “good enough” decision. Don't aim for the 100% best solution. We all know that perfectionism leads to added stress. Trying to be perfect overwhelms your brain with emotions and makes you feel out of control.
Striving for the best rather than “good enough” introduces an excess of emotional ventromedial prefrontal activity into the decision-making process. In contrast, knowing that “good enough” is the best choice activates the dorsolateral prefrontal region, which enhances our control over the situation.
So when you make a decision, your brain feels like it is in control. Feeling in control reduces stress. And here's another thing: Making decisions also increases pleasure!
Want proof? No problem.
Let's talk
about cocaine
You inject two rats with cocaine. One rat must first press the lever. The second rat doesn't have to do anything. Are there any differences in their feelings afterwards? Yes - the first rat gets more dopamine.
What is the conclusion? The next time you buy cocaine ... oops, no, that's the wrong conclusion.
The moment you decide to pursue a goal and then achieve it, you feel better than when something good happens to you by accident.
The results of this study open the veil over the eternal mystery why it can be so difficult to trudge to the gym. If you go to the gym because you feel you MUST do it, your act is not a truly free, voluntary decision. Your brain is not enjoying it. He's just under stress, and this prevents you from developing a healthy exercise habit.
If you force yourself to exercise, you do not get the benefits, because without having a choice, exercise in itself becomes a source of stress. So make more decisions!
Now let's summarize nicely: We don't just choose what we like. We also like what we choose.
You express gratitude, identify and name negative emotions, and make more free decisions perfectly. But this is too little for a recipe for happiness. Let's think about those around us.
4. Touch people
No, not all indiscriminately, it can lead to big trouble. But we need to feel the love and acceptance of other people. When we don't get it, it hurts. I do not mean: we are "uncomfortable" or we are "disappointed". It hurts us.
Neurologists conducted a study in which people played a video game with a ball. A simple game where the participants throw a ball at you and you throw it back. In fact, there were no other players a computer program was used instead. But the study participants were told that these characters were controlled by real people. What happened when the “other players” stopped being friendly and stopped throwing the ball at you? The subjects' brains reacted as if they were in physical pain. Rejection doesn't just lead to a "broken heart," your brain feels much like a broken leg.
Experiments show that social isolation activates the same circuitry as physical pain. At one point, the players stopped throwing the ball, starting to throw it only to each other, ignoring the subject.
This small change was enough to induce a sense of social alienation, which activates the anterior cingulated cortex and islet of the brain - as well as physical pain.
Relationships are very important to feeling happy. So touch people One of the main ways oxytocin is released is by touch. Obviously, it's not always appropriate to touch people, but small touches, such as shaking hands and patting on the back, are usually fine. For people who are close to you, put in a little more effort to touch them more often.
Touch is an
incredibly powerful tool. We just don't trust him enough. The touch makes us
more convincing, increases productivity, makes flirting more successful ...
even improves our math skills!
Touching someone we love actually relieves pain. Moreover, studies of married couples have shown that the stronger the marriage, the more powerful the effect. Holding hands with someone helps you comfort yourself in a painful situation.
In one experiment, married women were warned that they were about to receive a small electric shock. Expecting painful sensations, the brain displayed a predictable response to pain and anxiety, with activation of the insular, anterior cingulated gyros, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
During the split scan, the woman held the hand of either her husband or the experimenter. When she held her husband's hand, the pain was much less pronounced. The brain showed decreased activity in the anterior cingulated cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In addition, the more strongly the marriage was assessed, the lower was the discomfort associated with the activity of the cerebral islet.
So hug someone today.
And don't settle for short, quick hugs. No and no again. Say that your doctor
has recommended an extended hug.
Hugs, especially long hugs, release the neurotransmitter and the hormone oxytocin, which reduces the response of the amygdale. Research shows that five hugs a day for four weeks increase happiness for a long time.
Don't you have anyone to hug now? What to do? Very simple - you need to go for a massage.
Research results show that massage increases serenity levels by at least 30 percent. Massage also reduces stress hormones and increases dopamine levels, which can help you form healthy new habits. Massage reduces pain because oxytocin activates pain-relieving endorphins. Massage improves sleep and relieves fatigue by increasing serotonin, dopamine and reducing the stress hormone cortical.
So spend time with other people and cuddle. Unfortunately, text messages are not enough here.
In one study, a group of people in a stressful situation communicated with loved ones and talked to them on the phone to reduce negative feelings. What happened when they just exchanged messages? Their brains reacted in the same way as if nothing was happening. Cortical and oxytocin levels remained in line with the control group, which had no contact at all.
Summing up
- Ask, "What can
I be grateful for?"
- Identify and name your negative emotions - Give them a name and your brain won't be so worried.
- Make a decision - Strive for a “good enough” solution instead of making “the best and only correct decision possible”.
- Hugs, hugs, hugs - Don't text - touch.
Is there a
way to tread the path that leads to happiness?
Start by simply sending someone a thank you letter. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep reduces pain. Reducing pain improves mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety, which increases concentration and planning ability. Concentration and planning helps you make decisions. Making decisions further reduces anxiety and increases pleasure. Pleasure makes us feel even more grateful, which fills us with a sense of happiness. The pleasure also makes it more likely that you will take care of yourself and become more social, which in turn will make you even happier
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