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Our brain is a complex machine, with many neurotransmitters and hormones that play a key role in our well-being, but did you know they also control our emotions?
Yes, that's right, everything we feel is chemically controlled and today we will show you a bit of this fascinating world.
Happiness
You have already heard about the "Happiness hormone", but in fact it is not only one but many.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced by a small region of the brain called the hypothalamus that help us feel pleasure. In fact, dopamine is essential in our reward system, when we do something that feels good or complete a task our brain releases this neurotransmitter.
Did you know that dopamine is highly related to addiction? Yes, addiction is related to the reward system and the production of dopamine.
Fig. 1 Dopamine pathway
Serotonin is another neurotransmitter involved in the feeling of satisfaction or importance in balances in such elements leading to unregulated sleep schedules, mood changes and even impairments in appetite.
Fig. 2 Serotonin pathway
Oxytocin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland that produces the feeling of connection and love, produced in higher quantities when we hug, cuddle, and have protective behaviors. This hormone is also related to childbirth and breastfeeding.
Fig. 3 Oxitocin pathway (Jockers, 2021)
Endorphins operate as neurotransmitters had they activate positive feelings when we do things, we enjoy like running, laughing, jumping or even having sex. They have other functions such as pain relief, yes it's true, endorphins can be even more powerful than prescribed opioids.
Sadness
As you can see, hormones and many neurotransmitters shape how we feel and regulate our mood. Sadness is described by many by the absence of the "happy hormones" even though this might be true in clinical situations such as depression, feeling sad by itself is a little bit more complex.
But in terms of depression, it's true that dopamine and serotonin levels may be lower than in healthy individuals. For that reason, many anti-depressant medications are designed to boost serotonin and dopamine levels.
Fear
Fear is a complex emotion that leads to the activation of a stress response, fight, or flight. This emotion is modulated by numerous stress hormones and its design to make us survive.
Anger
Anger is the most natural and automatic response to physical and psychological pain. Anger is one type of stress and just like fear it exists to make us react and respond to our surrounding environment.
In both cases (fear and anger) the Epinephrine or as many of you know as adrenaline which is produced in the adrenal glands will arrive at the brain starting a cascade reaction where many neurotransmitters start acting to speed up the heart and make us move.
Disgust
Our frontal cortex is responsible for our disgust reaction to smell, taste and even food appearance. Is considered as a protective response against toxins and parasites.
Some studies have proven that Oxytocin affects the generation or acquisition of disgust.
From let's Biologue to you
References
Health, I. (2022). How You Can Benefit from Happy Chemicals. Integrisok.com. https://integrisok.com/resources/on-your-health/2022/july/happy-chemicals#:~:text=Four%20main%20brain%20chemicals%2C%20dopamine,that%20helps%20you%20feel%20pleasure.
Happy or SAD: The chemistry behind depression. (2015). The Jackson Laboratory. https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/jax-blog/2015/december/happy-or-sad-the-chemistry-behind-depression#:~:text=People%20with%20clinical%20depression%20often,of%20serotonin%2C%20dopamine%20and%20norepinephrine.
Sissons, B. (2022, November 17). Can hormonal imbalances cause depression? Medicalnewstoday.com; Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/hormonal-depression
Jockers, D. (2021, September 16). 12 Ways to Optimize Oxytocin Levels for Mood & Happiness. DrJockers.com. https://drjockers.com/oxytocin-levels/
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