It’s been called the molecule of happiness, but serotonin is far more than that in any workplace that engages its power.
Serotonin is actually a chemical that can add focus and higher problem solving skills to transform any ordinary day. How so?
- On the golf course, you’ll get finer hits to the green.
- In relationships, you’ll score more allies.
- When sleeping, you’ll enter better rest.
- For leadership, you’ll attract more support.
- At work, you’ll offer innovation solutions.
Recent research shows serotonin as more of a choice than once thought. It’s also true that we each come with mixed levels, and that events over any day can raise or lower natural serotonin supplies.
Lesser known, however, is the fact that serotonin and other natural drugs more a fuel choice. Calm is far less dependent on daily events that go well, and stress does not remain simply because the chips are down. That’s likely not surprising if you observe life’s abundance in people who laugh, care, give or lead well, in spite of tough times. They learn to access serotonin in good and bad times.
Here are a few power punch enablers that serotonin offers:
1. People possess naturally about 5 to 10 mg of the chemical.
2. Serotonin is 90% within your intestines.
3. The hormone’s additional 10% surges through the blood and brain.
4. It’s neurotransmitter roles regulates:
Sleep
Memory
Appetite
Learning
Cardiovascular functions
Moods
Muscle contraction
Temperature regulation
5. Increase serotonin through foods such as milk, plums, pineapples, turkey, and bananas, as they add amino acid called tryptophan for manufacturing natural serotonin.
6. Neurons in the brain release serotonin, and the levels of release impact many behaviors.
7. Low serotonin levels can cause anxiety, fear, self-pity, insomnia, stress, and depression.
8. Certain drugs, such as Prozac, and even LSD will mimic serotonin in the brain.
Brainpower can increases for those who raise their serotonin levels in natural ways, and without drugs – simply by choosing to do so. Can you see why serotonin is deemed the brain’s miracle drug.
There’s more good news yet. Each time you choose to raise your serotonin levels, you literally rewire your brain’s plasticity to cultivate more brain benefits on a regular basis. Sound like a winning deal? If so, how will you raise your own and other’s serotonin today?
on Sep 7th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Ellen, I saw a fact here that’s intriging – serotonin is 90% in the intestines. Do you have the sense that when something traumatic takes place it might be why we feel a Mac truck hit us in the stomach?
Robyn McMasters last blog post..What I Learned from Friends
on Sep 7th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Hi Ellen…I love your new look and format. well done.
on Sep 7th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Good point! That’s exactly why the gut gets a stressor first, Robyn:-) Cortisol also surges there. The key is to top up seritonin and reduce cortisol:-) It’s great to know more about how it works so we can do just that!
on Sep 7th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Thanks for stopping by GL — and thanks to Robyn for all her tech and other smarts in getting this site to rock! At the end of the day any site is only as good as the value of community that comes by — and thanks for making this site one to look forward to GL!
on Sep 16th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Ellen,
Doesn’t exercise also trigger serotonin production? By becoming more active, both physically and mentally, we can begin to create the balance that leads to real well-being.
As a writer, I find it so easy to neglect physical activity in favor of my many intellectual endeavors. So, I always need to remind myself that, while exercising our mental muscles during writing and researching is great for keeping them strong and supple, that added physical workout can also work wonders for our attitude, which in turn will boost our brain power even more than mental activity alone.
Exercise can also help us drain the stress that often builds while we engage in mental work that requires extended periods of concentration, giving our brains a much-needed rest and helping to rejuvenate, replenish, and refocus them for the next round of mental activity.
I just love your concept of rewiring the brain’s plasticity! What an adventure–and what a valid goal!
Aside from adding more Tryptophan to my diet, I plan to work on creating greater balance between mental and physical activity today, to maintain a positive attitude, to seek new sources of knowledge and use them to learn and absorb exciting new things, and to forge new connections with people. Those activities should give me that shot of serotonin that I need for optimal mental function. I also plan to help boost other people’s serotonin levels by engaging them in positive, friendly, encouraging, and affirming ways.
Thanks for an inspiring post!
Jeanne
P.S. I may be a little late reading and responding to this post, but it’s never too late to begin improving our serotonin levels!
on Sep 17th, 2008 at 10:08 am
[...] you feel under heavy weights of a cortisol crank, for instance, you can simply reopen a flow of chemicals for well-being that help you to create solutions for the problem or person that created the toxic back-splash or [...]
on Sep 21st, 2008 at 11:49 am
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[...] You get the idea, and will likely have better alternatives than mine, to sidestep cortisol’s confinement. Strange as it may seem, the key is to do the opposite of whatever creates cortisol. To do the opposite of a cortisol response, is to rewire the brain for more of that serotonin behaviour. [...]
on Sep 24th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
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on Sep 27th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
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on Sep 27th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
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on Oct 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
[...] opportunities to learn in groups and suggest social skills that add serotonin and capitalize on their unique [...]
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[...] fills discussions about our losses. For example mental chemicals that guide good decisions include serotonin, which is reduced by this emphasis on negative financial newscasts. In contrast the stress and [...]
on Oct 8th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
[...] for mental well-being and dignity all around. 5. A thoughtful response stimulates a synapses for serotonin so successful solutions follow. 6. Good tone inspires change for an adventure of growth in oneself [...]
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
[...] alternative solutions that remove guns from the equation. Act vulnerably or compassionately and serotonin becomes the brain’s fuel to find common ground [...]
on Oct 19th, 2008 at 10:40 am
[...] focus and so it’s no surprise that it also leads to higher success for people who learn to cultivate its benefits. This miracle drug fuels tone that allows people to disagree without attacking the person who [...]
on Oct 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 am
[...] Transfer serotonin in your brain into prosperity in your bank account whenever you sidestep hints of failure in [...]
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 9:36 am
[...] Celebrates humility in ways that fuel his leadership positively with serotonin, How so? Barak Obama rejuvenates his own brain, in ways that add life-changing brainpower to [...]
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
[...] start your day with fresh coffee aromas, serotonin spikes a sense of well being in response, and a warm muffin tops off your winning launch to another [...]
on Dec 28th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
[...] your brain can create new neuron pathways past fear, and by so doing you’ll also pump in serotonin chemicals that help you to sustain well being, in spite of financial or other challenges. Thanks to [...]
on Jan 10th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
[...] expert to lunch and ask for suggestions to get you started. Any of these acts will likely add to serotonin generated by a positive approach toward doable [...]
on Jan 19th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
[...] – you’ve also just tapped into seratonin that builds good will, as well as mutiple intelligences that sustains it. What tone tips would you [...]
on Jan 21st, 2009 at 7:00 pm
[...] to these toxic teaching tactics. We’ve also learned recently that chemicals such as serotonin open minds to learning, while cortisol, which is associated with anger, fear, stress, boredom, or [...]
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 11:43 am
[...] mental fitness and you begin to balance your day with multiple intelligence tools that stoke serotonin chemicals for a life worth [...]
on Feb 12th, 2009 at 8:41 am
[...] a few tips to stir more brainpower into reconfigured opportunities for success. Start by stoking serotonin, a miracle drug for success that resides in your brain, ready to fuel faster growth and [...]
on Feb 15th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
[...] Serotonin – which is a neurotransmitter that regulates moods, opens your mind for taking advantage of [...]
on Feb 24th, 2009 at 10:57 am
[...] for me is is based partly on two-footed questions, that stoke curiosity and serotonin that accompanies it. [...]
on Feb 25th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
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on Mar 7th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
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on Mar 17th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
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on Mar 21st, 2009 at 9:05 am
[...] you daily. Surround yourself with compassionate professionals who know how to laugh and who live healthy serotonin experiences that put problems on back burners until solutions simmer. Guilt, exposed to healthy settings, tends [...]
on Mar 24th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
[...] build goodwill with others tend to divert disagreements? In so doing, they lift morale and spread serotonin at [...]
on Apr 1st, 2009 at 9:37 am
[...] can be done to curb the cortisol that critics bring to shut down progress – in order to welcome the serotonin that comes in inspiration during great brainstorming [...]
on Apr 15th, 2009 at 8:45 am
[...] I accept only books I can champion or commend. That way, even when I disagree with sections read, I spread serotonin to my brain and others who read [...]
on Apr 17th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
[...] Art and images that add spatial meaning to the workplace. I’m speaking here of icons that set the stage for wonder, inspire a sense of beauty and showcase significant people, places and events that spark serotonin chemicals for well being. [...]
on Apr 26th, 2009 at 11:49 am
[...] direction of meeting one target, or organizing your work area and your brain often responds with serotonin – the chemical for [...]
on Apr 26th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
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on May 8th, 2009 at 8:12 am
[...] Increase serotonin in your brain and in others and fuel mental journey toward [...]
on May 11th, 2009 at 11:51 am
[...] Would you encourage people to tame the amygdala and to add more serotonin at [...]
on May 18th, 2009 at 9:01 am
[...] spaces for serotonin to flow at work and you will also plug the leaks that allow in cortisol to poison results with [...]
on May 31st, 2009 at 8:03 am
[...] spreads encouragement that alters the brain’s chemistry with tone tactics that increase serotonin and decrease [...]
on Jun 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 pm
[...] and encouragers activate the brain area for well-being. It’s really a case of cortisol versus serotonin, and it comes within people’s responses to others’ effort and [...]
on Jul 8th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
[...] Be good to you, because you need the mental chemical serotonin to succeed. Make a decision to stop beating up on yourself for mistakes and then stick to that [...]
on Jul 11th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
[...] tangible offerings for higher brainpower, yet far fewer see themselves building brainpower through serotonin taps given. [...]
on Jul 18th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
[...] Serotonin chemicals are released which is characterized by high performance and researchers tell us that when some people begin to move from alpha waves into theta movement, sleep soon follows. [...]
on Jul 29th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
[...] well being from their tether the person’s maligning words or acts. The snipping leaves you mentally in a place to grow from the experience, or even offer an olive branch in response – rather than in a place of [...]
on Aug 15th, 2009 at 8:44 am
[...] to different areas of the brain for your response? It also triggers release of chemicals such as serotonin or cortisol into the blood, to trigger often unwanted emotional [...]
on Aug 16th, 2009 at 7:18 am
[...] Serotonin’s drug of choice awaits your use to replace the crankiness that comes from cortisol that adds loss to your day. [...]
on Aug 31st, 2009 at 9:25 pm
[...] the brain’s circuitry, increase dangerous cortisol chemicals and lower levels of serotonin, your chemical for [...]
on Sep 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
[...] comes with that boost of serotonin, and stimulates determination to hang in and help others win. Just yesterday I received an email [...]
on Oct 4th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
[...] not long before deadly hits take their toll on any group. Brain based tactics, such as banking serotonin can turn this around, in settings that engage good questions as an entry point and apply smart [...]
on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 8:18 am
[...] without conditions, and in spite of personal loss. In response, your brain raises levels of serotonin chemicals for sustainable well [...]
on Nov 25th, 2009 at 10:46 am
[...] facilitate creativity and inventions is to build brainpowered communities through spreading serotonin that increases hope. It’s opposite is to criticize and critique what others invent and to [...]
on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 11:17 pm
[...] you’d choose. Simply put, smell stirs deep memories, increases brain chemicals such as serotonin, and alters emotions in the human [...]
on Jan 1st, 2010 at 1:23 pm
[...] financial markets nosedive when naysayers spout doom? This trend hinges on the fact that hope adds serotonin to spark curiosity and fuel the brain. Cortisol, on the other hand, shuts down originality, and [...]
on Feb 20th, 2010 at 10:04 am
[...] the question to How can we support you in the struggle you describe? and you replace cortisol with serotonin for well being and change. Do you see the [...]
on Mar 13th, 2010 at 7:11 am
[...] they increase brainpower any individual or group needs to remain in the race to the finish lines. Serotonin is your brain’s best adrenalin for managing time, while other natural drugs can come to your [...]