8/27/2023 0 Comments Happy thoughtsIn studies where patients took placebo pills for certain diseases, they often found that some symptoms actually improved. One thing that has solidified that our positive thoughts can have an impact not only on our minds, but our bodies as well, is the placebo effect (a beneficial outcome that can be attributed to the patient’s belief in the treatment rather than the treatment itself). That tends to be sort of classic happiness for people.” So, he says, “it looks like a happy brain is a brain that is either-inwardly focused without judgment, or a more outwardly-focused brain that feels that it itself is a vehicle for connection with the larger world. “If you’re feeling down before you came into the movie, you feel better when you leave,” says Raison, “just because you’ve sort of busted that self-focus for a second.” Meditation has been shown to reduce activity in the default mode network, taking away some of that negative self-obsession-and then there’s the matter of scary movies. Turning down activity in that brain area by thinking outwardly may well be a key ingredient in the recipe for happiness. “You tend to think that you’re inadequate, or a failure, or are ashamed.” “It means that there’s a pathological focus on the self and the focus is negative,” explains Raison via phone. It’s that inner voice that keeps you up at night, telling you that you’re not worthy of happiness. According to him, the brains of people who are depressed tend to have a reduction in activity in the areas that are responsible for pleasure essentially, decreased cognitive functioning in the brain, which in turn decreases dopamine action, means it is more difficult for these people to feel joy.Īnother potential source of unhappiness is rooted in hyperactivity within a brain structure called the default mode network, which is basically a web of interacting regions that activate when you’re too inwardly-focused (for example, when you’re obsessing over something you said to a coworker, or are beating yourself up over not sticking to a plan). Keeping your brain happy means a boost in mental productivity, focus, creativity, and problem-solving negative thoughts, on the other hand, impede cognition.Ĭharles Raison, professor in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has dedicated his career to researching the opposite of happiness: depression. Whenever a happy thought occurs, the creation of new synapses (areas connecting neurons) increases. These powerful chemical messengers also regulate a number of functions in your body, ranging from sleep and appetite to cognition, memory, learning, and metabolism. When you think happy thoughts, your brain produces the complex neurotransmitter serotonin (which contributes to an overall sense of well being and happiness), as well as dopamine (which is largely associated with pleasure and reward). They handle a variety of biological functions, including the release of certain hormones and chemicals that can impact how you feel. Are you a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person? Apparently, it really is the thought that counts.Įvery idea that passes through your brain-positive or negative-triggers the release of neurotransmitters, which are chemical substances that allow communication between the control centre and the rest of the body.
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