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Condition GOOD — very different. Sometimes it is a violent and unbridled joy, overflowing with pleasure and euphoria. And sometimes this state of complete internal is good when you have a surge of strength and vigor, everything is in order and you are confident in yourself. Now, these two different states make two different hormones. Unbridled joy and euphoria is the hormone dopamine. A surge of strength and self-confidence is the hormone serotonin.
Interestingly, dopamine and serotonin exhibit a reciprocal relationship: high dopamine levels lower serotonin levels and vice versa. Let me translate: self-confident people are not prone to unbridled joy, and those who like to rage joyfully are more often not completely self-confident.
By boosting self-confidence, serotonin helps us increase our social rank. As experiments on animals have shown, the higher the level of serotonin, the higher the social rank of the animal under study. And vice versa: animals at the bottom of the social ladder showed a consistently low level of this mediator.
To clarify: initially, serotonin is not a hormone, but a brain neurotransmitter, i.e. a substance that transmits brain impulses between nerve cells. It turns into a hormone only when it enters the bloodstream.
It is very useful for psychologists to know that not all psychological problems are solved by talking, sometimes you need to correct the client's internal chemistry. If there is a lack of serotonin in the brain, a person has a bad mood, increased anxiety, loss of strength, absent-mindedness, low analytical abilities, lack of interest in the opposite sex, depression, including in the most serious forms. It is difficult for such a person to throw the object of adoration out of his head, or, alternatively, he cannot get rid of intrusive or frightening thoughts.
But if a person has an increase in the level of serotonin, his depression disappears, he ceases to cycle on unpleasant experiences, and good mood, joy of life, a surge of strength and vigor, activity, attraction to the opposite sex quickly come to the place of problems. Thus, we can say that serotonin is an antidepressant that drives away depression and makes a person's life joyful and happy.
How to increase your serotonin level?
If you have a severe case and really low levels of serotonin, then go to a psychotherapist who works in a medical institution and start taking antidepressants according to his prescriptions. This is not a panacea, but at least a solution. If you do not have such a critical situation, then the simplest and most affordable is to be more often in the light, under the bright rays of the sun, or at least arrange better lighting at home. If a couple of extra bright lights will take away depressive thoughts from you, it's probably worth it.
The second, cheaper remedy is to start monitoring your posture. A hunched back and stoop causes a decrease in serotonin levels and almost automatically leads to feelings of shame in some, guilt in others. But a straight posture causes an increase in serotonin levels, increases self-esteem and mood.
The third remedy for increasing serotonin levels is to eat those foods that will produce serotonin for you. It is curious that serotonin as such is absent in the products. The products contain something else - the amino acid tryptophan, from which the body produces serotonin.
The record holder for the content of tryptophan is hard cheese. Slightly less tryptophan is found in processed cheese. Next come lean meat, chicken eggs, lentils. Also, a large amount of tryptophan is found in oyster mushrooms, beans, cottage cheese, millet and buckwheat.
Also, if the body has a low level of serotonin, you need B vitamins. They are found in the liver, buckwheat, oatmeal, lettuce and beans. You also need foods containing magnesium (it also contributes to the production of serotonin). These are rice, prunes, dried apricots, bran, seaweed. To raise the level of serotonin, eat also bananas, melons, dates, pumpkins, oranges.
In addition to proper nutrition, there are other sources of serotonin. Physical activity helps increase serotonin. Spend at least 20 minutes a day exercising or doing any kind of sport (running, swimming, dancing, etc.) and you will soon cheer yourself up and feel much better. You can not play sports - at least walk.
Supplement physical activity with good sleep: for the production of serotonin, you need to get enough sleep. Fresh air (and once again - the sun!) Will also help increase serotonin levels. Communicate more with friends and people you like, do your favorite thing or hobby, listen to your favorite music, give yourself more pleasant minutes - this will definitely help.
Important! The causal relationship between the amount of serotonin in the body and the mood is “two-way”: if the level of this substance rises, a good mood is created, if a good mood appears, serotonin begins to be produced.