Serotonin- The Impact on Our Mood

By: Eden S

As we think of our “happiness” chemicals, one of them is called serotonin. How does it impact us? What is the effect it has on our mood?

Serotonin can be known as a chemical communicator that carries signals from one part of our brain to another part. Some of the time, it is known as a neurotransmitter, this is due to a messenger of information between neurons. A chemical is released in the bloodstream that sends messages to various body parts.

Serotonin has many psychological factors. About 40 million brain cells, it’s estimated that serotonin impacts every single cell that we have. High levels of serotonin are shown to boost abilities such as learning speed and memories. Studies show that serotonin can help our autonomic nervous system functions or flight-or-fight response.

Serotonin in the brain also helps reduce anxiety and depression, regulates our emotions and contributes to our well-being. When these serotonin levels are high, our mood improves right away. At the same time, there are a lot of other chemical processes happening in the body. Serotonin does not regulate tasks alone, and other neurotransmitters like dopamine can help play a key role.

Research says that balanced serotonin levels can often lead to calm, focused, happy and stable moods. Exercise is also proven to increase serotonin levels, cardio in particular. A number of supplements can help us create more serotonin. When you laugh, your body can reduce that serotonin. Serotonin can simulate the section of the brain that controls the sleep wake up cycle.

From this research and learning, we now know that this happy chemical is great for you and your brain!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article on Serotonin! If you liked reading this article, go read this article on the differences between children and adult brains, linked here. This article further explores the brain and the impact many things can have on development.

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Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for our upcoming articles!

Happy Reading,

Eden and the Writing Committee :)

SOURCES:

Serotonin: Affecting Consciousness, Attention, Cognition, and Emotion (psycom.net)

What Is Serotonin? (verywellmind.com)