Several messenger substances that have a positive effect on the body’s well-being are referred to as happiness hormones. Serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins are thought to relieve pain, induce states of relaxation, and make people happy. Because of their effects on the psyche, which are comparable to narcotics, happiness hormones are also referred to as endogenous drugs.
What are happiness hormones?
Because the term happiness hormones comes from popular science, there is no valid scientific definition. All hormones referred to as endogenous drugs belong to the neurotransmitters, the biochemical messengers of the body. Their function is to transmit nerve excitation via the synapses to the brain and via this to influence the mental and physical condition of the person. The so-called happiness hormones include the messenger substances serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, noradrenaline, phenethylamine and oxytocin. They all have specific tasks and effects; for example, dopamine is responsible for increased drive and motivation, and serotonin influences the gastrointestinal tract, the cardiovascular system and the nervous system. Popular scientists suggest that the interaction of happiness hormones is crucial for physical and mental well-being and that an emerging imbalance triggers depression, but there are no official studies on this.
Medical and health functions and roles
The effect of the happiness hormones has not yet been sufficiently researched to prove an interaction. For this reason, the functions and roles of the neurotransmitters must be considered individually. Phenethylamine is thought to be responsible for the generation of pleasurable sensations, but its effects have not been medically demonstrated. What is certain is that phenethylamine cannot be used as a drug, since its absorption has no effect in humans. Oxytocin is also known as the birth hormone, since it induces labor and has gained importance as a drug for clinical obstetrics. Further, oxytocin has a calming effect and it raises cortisone levels and blood pressure. Neurochemistry attributes oxytocin an effect on the mood states of trust and love. The exact effect of endorphins is also not clear. Norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin have been adequately researched. Neuroscience knows that norepinephrine, which is related to epinephrine, has the same effect as epinephrine as a neurotransmitter. Both increase blood pressure and at the same time lower the heart rate, which allows people to remain operational even when they are highly stressed. Norepinephrine is used in small doses as an intravenous drug against anaphylactic and cardiogenic shocks and hypotension. The happiness hormone dopamine increases drive and motivation, raises blood pressure, and stimulates heart and kidney function. It is used as an emergency medication in cardiovascular arrest and heart failure. Serotonin may be called the most important happiness hormone because its effects in the central nervous system are more far-reaching than those of the other neurotransmitters. Its functions include stimulation of the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for emotion regulation, and adjustment of the sleep-wake rhythm. Furthermore, serotonin has an appetite-suppressing as well as pain-relieving effect. The different effects of the happiness hormones seem to reinforce the theory of their interplay.
Diseases and disorders
Happiness hormones can cause a variety of physical and mental disorders, because both their absence and their excessive presence are harmful. Whether and to what extent the balance of happiness hormones is important for mental satisfaction has not yet been scientifically proven. In the following, we will therefore look at the disorders that the individual neurotransmitters can trigger. Phenethylamine is the only neurotransmitter that has been shown to have no effects when overdosed and cannot be excessive because the hormone is rapidly broken down. The other happiness hormones appear to have negative effects on the body and mind when overdosed; for example, oxytocin in excessive amounts makes people trusting and naive. Excessive levels of dopamine are being researched as a symptom or cause of schizophrenia, as the drug causes schizophrenia-like symptoms in healthy individuals. Also, on the issue of happiness hormone-related diseases and disorders, reference must be made primarily to serotonin, as the neurotransmitter has been the best researched.Serotonin deficiency is suspected to be the cause of migraine attacks, as a drop in serotonin levels has been observed shortly before migraine attacks. Since 1969, serotonin has been known to be associated with depression, but not to be its cause. Nevertheless, many antidepressants successfully affect serotonin levels and happiness hormones.
