How to become a happier: 6 simple ways

Happy moments so fleeting. Look back in no time - have all passed. Then we take to find a new goal that will make us happy. It turns out, so our brains work.

There is a "happy hormones" that stand out when we will do something nice - tasty lunch, bet or spent money (each has its own joy). But these chemical compounds quickly disintegrate.

However, we can make these hormones appear - and make us happier - when they themselves want. Everyday. At least five times. In this article - 6 ways to control your happiness.

Clever old brain

You inherited your brain from surviving ancestors. That's why it's set to one - survival.

You can not feel it in its entirety, but in those moments when you are worried, afraid of being late to a meeting or eat poor quality food, the brain works, responsible for survival. Yes, do not be surprised. When you are worried that you are not invited to the party, or that you have a terrible haircut, the brain re worried about your survival: both of these circumstances pose a risk to your social connections. But these ties were of great importance for the survival of their ancestors.

If you are freed from the existence of such threats as hunger, cold, or the presence of predators around, mechanically brain continues to scan other potential threats. And, as a rule, he finds.

Any human reaction to external stimuli inherent in the desire to ensure the survival of our brain. And that brings us a sense of satisfaction (see "helps to survive"), creates neural pathways that activate the production of "happiness hormones".

Fantastic Four

Lucky we do not do things, people or a dream come true. A neurochemicals. It is when you look at happiness in terms of physiology. These "happy hormones" actively synthesized in those moments when the brain identifies the positive effects for our survival. Then, their levels in the body falls sharply before the next event pleasant.

Each of these neurochemicals "includes" human-specific positive feeling.

Dopamine creates a feeling of joy from the fact that a person finds something necessary.
Endorphin creates a sense of lightness and forgetfulness, which helps alleviate pain.
Oxytocin gives a person a sense of comfort in the society.

Serotonin makes a person a sense of social importance.

"Ancient Brain" rewards you with a feeling of satisfaction when you do something necessary for survival. That's why every neurotransmitter produces a special type of behavior aimed ultimately at solving this problem.

Even if you have discovered a new planet, a surge of "happiness hormones" will not last forever. Despite the fact that the brain desperately want this feeling. We each level of these substances in the brain at times falling. That's how our brains.
But the man out and a man of understanding that, if desired, can control the "hormone of happiness" and recall them at the moment when it is needed. Of course, this will need to do "homework". But the result is worth it - to be happy as desired.

So how do you control your happiness?

1. Manage stress hormone

At times, in all cases, a surge of "stress hormone" - cortisol. In the past, this has created a sensation in the brain neural connections, which works to keep you out of trouble today.

You can call it whatever you like - stress, anxiety, fear, or panic, depending on the severity of sensations - but always cortisol makes you think that if you do not take decisive action right now, something terrible will happen.
We must learn to recognize negative feelings from the past. So you can develop behaviors to confront them. When you realize that stress or anxiety - only the old response to the threat of old, then stop looking for her new evidence. And the negative feeling just go away.

2. Go to the dream

Every step toward the goal, which is important for us, activates the synthesis of dopamine. No matter what is the purpose: to commit the perfect crime, or life in a villa on the shore of the ocean - the brain produces dopamine, to the extent that, as you do the next step towards the goal. That's why we can spend years trying to be a rock star or a successful doctor. And we rejoice, when we become a little closer to the dream.

Athletes spend so much time on training, because as long as they train their brain synthesizes small amount of dopamine with every step on the way to the expected reward. But winning the game or competition leads to a massive release of dopamine.

3. Teach neurons to positive

You can train the brain to the new positive feelings. Start by identifying the neural connection that you would like to have.

Here's a simple example. Fred wants to overcome their addiction to alcohol. He decides to replace the craving for it some fad that would not matter so much unwanted side effects. He thinks and remembers that in his youth loved to draw. He decides to take up a pencil every time he pulls a drink.

At first, Fred does not like his drawings, and he does not like what he deprives himself of pleasure to drink. After a while, the drawing begins to seem a kind of gift to Fred, not a burden. He feels a sense of discomfort passes. This was the restructuring of the neural structure.

Neural chain connected to the drawing, increased to such an extent that it can compete with Fred defining addiction to alcohol. Now he knows how to provide a sense of comfort.

4. Do the opposite

The brain likes to control the situation and feels great when you refuel it works. However, our control is often limited and unpredictable, so sometimes there is a feeling of anxiety that "banishes" our happiness.

You can teach yourself to feel comfortable even when not fully in control of the situation. To create a neural chain, pay attention to the times when you seek to control everything, and act exactly the opposite.

For example, if you want to learn how to bake the best cakes in the world, try for 45 days to do without prescriptions. Conversely, if you throw in a pot all indiscriminately, 45 days following recipe.

From time to time you will inevitably feel weak and insignificant. This will lead to the emission of cortisol (a stress hormone), but you can learn to feel safe, even when you do not fully control the situation.

5. Seek support from family

When you feel that you can rely on someone's support, it creates a feeling of oxytocin. It also helps to cope with stress. Pulling your hair out because you have a feeling of discomfort, it does not make sense, but the switch for some sweet deal for you - very well.

People are arranged so that it becomes a fun experience fellowship with loved ones. The habit to communicate, and it is better to embrace the family - it's a good way to distract from the problems, because touch is strongly stimulate the production of oxytocin.

6. Do not expect the impossible

Life brings joy when surrounding us reality surpasses our expectations. Your success and failure much depend on the expectations, so it is important to assess correctly the past.

Expectations - a neural pathway. They are activated by electrical impulses that the brain expects that soon will go some information. They are activated you subconsciously, they have gone on the "beaten path" - in the chains in which they have often held. So head there patterns that keep us aware of the reality correctly.

Track your expectations. Write down on a piece of paper situations where you expect the damage and actually experienced a sense of bitterness, as well as expected remuneration and experienced that feeling. Accustomed to fix big expectations, continue to fine. This can be done several times a day.

When you learn to keep track of their expectations and the associated emotions, you can easily adjust them.

Each person is born with a lot of neurons, but c is very small amount of the connections between them. These relationships are based on the extent of interaction with the world around us, and ultimately provide us what we are. But sometimes you have a desire to modify these formed several communication and acquire new habits. The habit of happiness - sounds great. And a great way to become happier.