Happiness Brain Chemicals Matter - Happiness is Balance

By Mark Kaplan / June 7, 2020

The brain is a powerful computer as it manages and organizes our body to maintain stasis in the face of all the challenges it encounters in our daily life. We create challenges for the brain by not adhering to the manual on proper body, mind, and emotional care.

It would surprise most to know that the brain manages two main modes of consciousness. We are either feeling happy or we are stressed. Why would the brain have such little flexibility. Ok sometimes we feel something in between, but that in between is either leaning toward one mode or the other.

Why Happiness or Stress

While we see a life of so many choices and opportunities or maybe dangers and threats, our brain has a different view. It is in charge of our survival management. It sees every activity as enhancing our future ability to thrive or our idleness as challenging our ability to survive.

The brain stimulates happiness brain chemicals for positive behaviors that enhance survival and defaults to stress when we are not engaged in the former. The purpose in early man was to induce a search for food, family, and social support. It stimulated good feelings for the intention or engagement in each. This is why we enjoy going out on Friday nights to mingle, why we love our families, and why being a part of a community is rewarding.

The other major happiness stimulants are gained by improving our value to the community so that we may reap the rewards necessary for surviving and thriving. In the modern world these can be classified as learning, creating, and contributing. Exercise was necessary to hunt game and today vigorous exercise still stimulates endorphins.

Creating Happiness in Crisis

Today we are challenged by our environment in so many ways. Depression, substance abuse, anger, and fear are indications that happiness brain chemicals are not present. Unfortunately, many negative behaviors do create the chemicals of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, but negative behaviors eventually lead to our demise.

Consider the behaviors that create opportunity. When we learn, we are creating value. When we are creative in solving problems, expressing who we are, or helping others, we are building our future. When we use our knowledge, skills, time, or caring to improve the lives of others we are also self-actualizing. Maslow’s pyramid of struggle at the bottom and self-actualization at the top is Nature’s guide for us.

Black Lives Matter is the world coming together to build community. It makes all the participants feel purposeful. It stimulates all the happiness brain chemicals. People are using their voice to create a better community and improve lives.

It can be just as noble when we make the effort to learn in order to improve other lives. We go to school for years which we often feel is a burden. Some people thrive on it and some hate it. Learning throughout life is a practice of most leaders and successful people. Learning is the reward in and of itself called idactic behavior.

If in these troubling times you have daily behaviors of learning, creating, caring, and exercising, you are going to find happiness. Regardless of the environment, your brain will feel you are improving who you are. You will be making small steps every day to be a better you and of more value to everyone you care about.

Don’t let the environment change who you are. There will always be external stressors. Develop who you are from the inside out as Stephen Covey says. Build who you are and let it manifest into the outer world and make the world a better place with just your example. Imagine if everyone else and all our institutions did the same.

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