Did you know that your body constantly talks to you? Not with actual words, of course, but rather through the changing levels of our internal chemicals, including dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.
Its impact on our emotions, health and general well-being cannot be underestimated.
Take dopamine, for example, a neurotransmitter (or chemical messenger) that I consider the chemical of motivation. Fueled by hard physical work and mental effort, it in turn further stimulates our drive, helping us pursue goals.
Oxytocin, the love or connection hormone, helps you bond with people and generates optimism.
Serotonin is linked to mood and energy and has a hugely positive effect on emotions and productivity levels.
Finally, endorphins help de-stress: hormones stimulated by intense physical activity, calm and relieve pain.
Researchers have consistently found that modern life is having a significant detrimental impact on these neurotransmitters.
For example, when you scroll on your phone for hours and then feel exhausted and unmotivated, this, as I will explain later, is because phones affect your dopamine levels.
The same thing happens when you eat too much sugar or stay inside all day.
TJ Power with his book The DOSE Effect
DOPAMINE: BOOST YOUR MOTIVATION CHEMICAL
DON’T CHECK YOUR PHONE TOO EARLY IN THE DAY: We know from research that the parts of the brain that experience pleasure and pain are located next to each other in the hypothalamus, the brain’s control center.
To understand how they work together, leading American psychiatrist Dr Anna Lembke, who has done a lot of work in this area, has compared it to a set of scales on a fulcrum. I encourage people to imagine them as a support point. saw.
When you do hard, “painful” activities that cause physical or mental strain, such as pushing yourself in the gym or concentrating for a long period of time, the seesaw will weigh down the painful side of your brain, causing more activity there. . This causes the “pleasure” side of the seesaw to rise.
But too much “pleasure” coming from rapidly dopamine-raising activities, like eating sugary foods, drinking alcohol, or scrolling through social media, will tip the swing in the opposite direction. In response to the unnatural spikes of dopamine, your brain produces an additional neurochemical called dynorphin, to discourage you from pursuing these activities. It creates discomfort in the brain, usually experienced as depressive feelings and severe low mood, the kind you feel after drinking too much alcohol or eating too much sugary food.
In a low dopamine state, you will feel unmotivated (exercising or eating healthy will be more difficult) and you will procrastinate.
Dopamine is designed to be “obtained” slowly through effort. Activities such as housework, exercise, and gardening are good sources of “slow” dopamine. Journaling, painting, or playing a musical instrument also help. Just like sleep: when you sleep, your brain regenerates dopamine, so you wake up feeling plentiful and motivated to start the day.
Considering that your dopamine levels are at their baseline in the morning, it’s important that you don’t look at your phone first thing in the morning and create a dopamine “spike and dip” effect. I delay looking at mine until I go for a walk. Remember this simple phrase: “I must see the sunlight before I see social media.”
FORGET YOUR PHONE, WATCH TV: I’m sure you’ve found yourself struggling to watch TV without constantly checking your phone.
Both, of course, are screen-based activities, but when it comes to our dopamine there are significant differences.
Watching television requires an effort from your brain, since you have to concentrate and pay attention, increasing dopamine levels.
Scrolling through social media videos requires no effort to obtain pleasure and will have a long-term negative effect on dopamine.
OXYTOCIN: ACTIVATES THE LOVE HORMONE
HUG FOR AT LEAST FIVE SECONDS: Research has shown that when someone holds you, oxytocin is released into your bloodstream. As a result, your main stress hormone, cortisol, is also reduced. Brain scans suggest that the effect of touch kicks in around five seconds.
Some people love a hug. Others don’t. It is important to receive contact in a way that is comfortable for you. This could mean simply cuddling a cat or dog, which studies show also provides a release of oxytocin.
CALL, DON’T TEXT: Much of our social connection is now done through phone messages. A 2012 study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US assessed the different levels of oxytocin released between messaging someone close to you or, alternatively, calling them.
When messaging, there was no release of oxytocin. But the comforting sound of a voice triggered a much more substantial release of the hormone.
SEROTONIN: INCREASE THE HAPPY HORMONE
GET UP AND OUT: Many studies show the importance of sunlight for health: sleep quality, the immune system and, not least, serotonin production. This in turn provides greater energy and a more positive mood.
Be sure to enjoy the burst of morning light for a great start to your day. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be sunny to get the benefit of happiness.
PUT THE FRUIT IN: The most important thing to know about serotonin is that 90 percent is produced in the intestine. So if we have a happy, healthy gut, we are more likely to have a happy mind. Serotonin produced in the gut has been shown to positively affect our mood, energy, and nervous system function.
Therefore, the importance of eating unprocessed foods that are good for the gut, foods rich in probiotics (such as live yogurt) and not drinking too much alcohol for serotonin cannot be overestimated.
Fruit, however, is on the menu. The impact it has on your serotonin system is phenomenal, as fruits such as bananas, kiwi, plums and apples contain an essential amino acid known as tryptophan (which is also found in other foods such as eggs and fish), which provides a key component for the serotonergic system. serotonin production.
DELAY YOUR MORNING COFFEE: Many of us drink coffee within the first 30 minutes of waking up. This causes a series of challenges for the brain and the body’s energy cycle.
In the morning when you wake up, and especially if you go out into natural light, your body experiences a natural increase in the hormone cortisol. This kickstarts your energy system for the day.
If we consume caffeine during this period, this natural increase in cortisol is altered and the body uses caffeine for energy. This is the main cause of energy crashes in the afternoon.
Our hormones affect our emotions, our health, and our overall well-being.
Try to drink your coffee at least 90 minutes after waking up, preferably two hours. This will provide a much more natural power curve. I have my coffee at 10am and always take on a challenging activity or work immediately afterwards. Caffeine also increases dopamine to improve concentration and productivity.
ONLY HAVE LAMPS ON AFTER 7PM: Because good quality sleep is so important for our serotonin levels, it is vital that we prepare our bodies for rest. A simple way is to keep the overhead lights in your house off after 7 pm and use lamps instead.
The goal is to avoid having light shining over your head, because your brain perceives it as the sun.
ENDORPHINS: FUEL FOR YOUR NATURAL ANALESTICS
THE POWER OF A SHORT JOURT: When you physically push your body, you provide a significant release of endorphins. This is perhaps the most important thing to understand about endorphins: to stimulate them, you need to push your body.
You may have come across the term “runner’s high,” which is when people experience a significant rise in endorphins as a result of the physical pain caused by running.
It’s very difficult for me to start running. Instead, I take three moments during my morning walk to push my body a little harder. This could be a fast 50 meter jog, or even a slow jog up a small hill. Even this provides a boost of endorphins.
TAKE A HOT BATH: Warm environments increase endorphin levels. How?, you ask. When you lie down in a bath, for example, your body temporarily experiences a form of “heat stress.” Your body perceives that this heat can be dangerous, since it does not know that the water will not get hotter and burn you. To prepare, it releases pain-relieving endorphins, making you feel more relaxed. If you have access to a sauna, use it instead of the steam room, as saunas are more challenging and cause a greater release of endorphins.
- Adapted from The DOSE Effect by TJ Power (HQ, £20). © TJ Power 2025. To order a copy for £18 (offer valid until 02/02/25; free UK p&p on orders over £25), go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.