Dopamine and serotonin are key to feeling happy.
Here’s the science-backed way to unleash their power.
Dozens of hormones that influence your emotions and mood are at work in your body.
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty
Two of them, dopamine and serotonin, are especially important for happiness.
Dopamine and serotonin function as neurotransmitters in the brain, helping neurons talk to one another.
There, serotonin regulates mood and happiness.
Dopamine is involved in pleasure, motivation, learning, and memory.
Fortunately, the strategies below can help to optimize dopamine and serotonin and your mood.
(Note: They aren’t a replacement for medicationif you suffer from depression.
Speak with your medical provider to find the best treatment for you.)
If your sleep schedule is off, that may affect your serotonin system and your mood.
Waking up and going to bed at the same time daily may help, she says.
Pop Probiotics
In a review of studies, Wallace found that probiotics may help improve depression symptoms.
Probiotics might help by keeping your gut lining intact, she says.
Eating plenty of probiotic-rich foods, like yogurt and kimchi, may be beneficial.
