Where does happiness come from?

I was chilling on my sofa when I saw an add on tv that called my attention. It was a girl asking her dad where did happiness come from. It was obviously an add from a chocolate company, but I got curious, after all, where does the happiness come from? After searching on google “what is the science of happiness" and "how does the brain produce happiness", this what I learned.

In a philosophical perspective, happiness comes from within, it’s all about the way that we face our problems. It’s a choice we can make and it’s created by our minds by stopping being negative and focusing on doing or thinking about something positive. One of the things that stop us from being happy is that we think that we need a reason to be happy, when being happy should be our natural state. Instead of seeking for happiness from extern factors, we should concentrate in finding happiness inside of ourselves because we can be our own fount of happiness with the power of our thoughts, and happiness that comes from material things is only temporary and most of the time an illusion. In this way of thinking happiness is a state of mind and the best method to face life.

But how biologically are we capable of producing happiness? There are 4 principal chemicals that affect our happiness (also called neurotransmitters): Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins. These are made and releaced by neurons.

Dopamine is known as the “Chemical of reward”. It’s responsible for the enjoyment that we feel when we score a goal or eat a target. It’s associated with motivation and acts of kindness with others.

Oxytocin is related to pregnancy, breastfeeding and loving touch relationships. The lack of empathy is normally due to low levels of oxytocin so we can conclude that oxytocin is very important for humans to be social creatures.

Serotonin is best known because of its antidepressant use. This is the neurotransmitter that affects our mood. Usually, the lack of it is linked with criminality.

Endorphin is related to physical pain. It helps disguise pain and discomfort, like when we are exercising.

In the book “The emotional life of brain” by Dr.Richard Davidson, we can find the bridge between this to perspectives. When we are happy or sad different parts of our brain are activated. When we are happy the left prefrontal cortex is activated. A way for strength this cortex is to think healthy, this supports the things said in the first paragraph.

In conclusion, being happy is a complex process but achievable with healthy happy habits.