The brain has its own team of hormones to “boost” us, naturally improving mood and energy.
The brain has its own team of hormones to “boost” us, naturally improving mood and energy.
The brain has its dream team of hormones to naturally boost mood and energy. You just need to know how to stimulate them. Here’s how.
Simona GOUCHAN
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When winter sets in, our minds sometimes struggle to keep up. Fortunately, a few simple steps are enough to revive vitality and cheerfulness. British neuroscientist TJ Power, a leading figure on social media (with nearly 900,000 Instagram followers), shows in his book “The Right Dose” (a clever acronym for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins), published by Marabout, how to stimulate the hormones of happiness.
American psychiatrist Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained specialist in nutrition and metabolism, reminds us in “Nourish Your Brain, Heal Your Mind” (published by Thierry Souccar) that food remains central to psychological well-being. Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, attention or memory problems… brain chemistry is built upon food choices. Providing essential nutrients, avoiding those that cause stress, and, metabolically, maintaining healthy blood sugar and insulin levels are all crucial. Between simple routines and balanced menus, these two complementary approaches help us get through the cold season with a clear mind and in good spirits.
Regain Motivation and Energy with Dopamine.
Notifications, likes, endless videos… the brain runs on dopamine, the molecule of vitality and motivation. But, constantly bombarded with stimuli for everything and anything, the dopaminergic circuits become depleted. The result: we get bored easily, we procrastinate, we feel drained. Contrary to popular belief, dopamine is not the pleasure molecule, but the one that drives us to act, learn, and create. For our ancestors, every effort (hunting, lighting a fire, building a shelter…) brought a slow but lasting reward, emphasizes TJ Power. Today, a simple click or a like is enough to trigger a mini-dopamine rush, a fleeting pleasure that, in the long run, dulls the desire to act.
Neuroscientists call it an “evolutionary mismatch”: our brains, calibrated for sustained and tangible effort, find themselves trapped in a world where everything is at our fingertips, where rewards are instantaneous, an endless “dopamine land.” The remedy? A reset. A former notification addict, TJ Power suggests retraining your brain for genuine satisfaction through basic habits: taking a cold shower, tidying up your home, reading, or even watching TV… but without your phone within reach. These small actions, which require a bit of self-discipline, reactivate the natural dopamine cycle: effort followed by real pleasure.
“We need to allow ourselves moments without our mobile phones during the day.”
Avoiding your phone upon waking and structuring your morning is the first thing to do. Dive into notifications within minutes of waking up blocks the momentum built up overnight, when the brain regenerates its resources. Then, making your bed, brushing your teeth, or taking a cold shower sends a clear signal to your brain: “I’m taking control of my day.” And, to limit unnecessary dopamine rushes, TJ Power recommends intermittent phone-free time: setting aside periods of time during the day without your phone and scheduling specific times to check social media. He himself only allows himself three time slots: 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m. – appointments he looks forward to.
Getting into the flow, that state of total concentration, is another effective tip. Sports, reading, gardening, writing… immersing yourself in a demanding task slowly raises dopamine levels, fueled by the effort. Often, fifteen minutes of sustained attention is enough to trigger the mechanism: once you reach that point, the brain is firing on all cylinders, concentration becomes fluid, and you are fully anchored in the present moment. The result: productivity, motivation, and genuine enjoyment are beautifully synchronized.
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