Endorphins are the hormones of happiness and joy

What can be more pleasant than looking at a smiling child or happy parents. Looking at their sincere feelings, expressing love, joy, hope, and involuntarily you begin to smile, feeling the inside of a pleasant warmth. But are we wondering what exactly makes us feel these feelings? What role does the hormone endorphin and some of its other relatives play in the appearance of such dear to our heart: serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, which our brain produces?

The history of the discovery of the hormone endorphin

It's hard to say from what point you can count the history of dating with endorphins. It is believed that they were discovered at the beginning of the seventies of the last century, when scientists were actively interested in the Chinese system of anesthesia, allowing operations without the introduction of anesthesia. Methods of reflexology and acupuncture at that time were not sufficiently studied to understand how they work and whether they can be used to anesthetize certain areas of the body.

Many earlier, on the border of the XVII-XVIII centuries, the German pharmacist Friedrich Seturner, who at that time was only an apprentice, isolated from opium (an unripe poppy served as raw material) an amazing substance with the strongest sedative and hypnotic action. This substance in the form of a white powder with alkylating properties was called morphine by analogy with the name of the Greek god of dreams.

Morphine can cause a strong sleep and reduce the sensitivity of the body to various effects. But where is the hormone endorphin, which is often called the hormone of joy?

A century later, as a result of the work of scientists, it was revealed that the transfer of nerve impulses in the body is due to specific substances - neurotransmitters, in particular adrenaline and acetylcholine. That is, at the beginning of the last century people were ready to the fact that both pain and other sensations and feelings in our body are not accidental, and there are substances produced by the body itself that make us feel it.

At the same time, as the scientists were interested in oriental practices, the issue of opium addiction was especially topical. During the study of its causes, it was found that receptors sensitive to opiates, in particular to morphine, are found in nerve fibers and other tissues of the body. Their interaction with opiates leads to a feeling of euphoria.

But let's return to the Chinese practices. During their study, it was found that the introduction of the drug "Naloxone", used as an antidote to opiates, the effect of anesthesia achieved during acupuncture disappeared within a few seconds. This spoke in favor of the fact that when acupuncture is achieved, the effect of releasing certain substances similar in action to morphine, one of the strongest opiates capable of removing high intensity pain, is achieved. That is, our body itself is capable of producing substances that calm the nervous system, relieve pain and cause euphoria.

Since the comparison was specifically with morphine, these supposed neurotransmitters with a specific action were named by analogy with opiate - endorphins or endogenous (internal) morphins. And in 1975, these substances were discovered by Scottish scientists. These substances were 2 small molecules that are peptides (protein compounds consisting of 2 or more amino acids) of the brain. One kind of molecule was called enkephalins, another endorphins.

Both versions of the compound have been found to be synthesized in the pituitary gland of the brain under the influence of certain factors, and are neurotransmitters with morphine-like action. This discovery could not remain in the shadows, and soon the study of the properties of endorphins involved many scientists from different countries.

The property of endorphins to relieve pain was of interest to governments in terms of creating an army of patient-to-pain warriors. Interested in the opening and sports associations, because it opened up great opportunities for athletes, whose endurance could be increased several times. The idea to synthesize endorphins artificially could not help but interest pharmaceutical companies, because in theory it would be an ideal analgesic that does not cause addiction and side effects.

It turns out that the discovery of endorphins opened up great opportunities in different directions, so they began to study even more zealously, unexpectedly discovering new and new useful properties of amazing peptides. Even a small amount of endorphins helped to improve mood and was able to give a sense of euphoria, characteristic of morphine. And the action of endorphin on the body as an analgesic in its strength significantly exceeded the effect of the introduction of morphine.

Moreover, a correlation was found between the amount of endorphins released and the rate of healing of damage to human tissues. Their sedative action helps to deal with stress, relieve nervous tension and fatigue, to normalize blood pressure. Endorphins also help to increase immunity and help to recover faster after severe illnesses.

The effect of endorphins and other hormones of pleasure on the mood and condition of a person

The production of endorphins in the human body occurs in the brain cells - neurons. Their predecessor is betalapotrophin, a substance synthesized by the pituitary gland. In principle, other varieties of peptides are produced in the human brain, which are responsible for our feelings and mood. In addition to the fact that the brain produces endorphins, it also produces hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and others.

The hormone endorphin, because of its ability to evoke a sense of euphoria, is commonly referred to as the hormones of pleasure and happiness, along with serotonin and dopamine. But if you dig deeper, you can find that our sensations, feelings and emotions are more than the release of one of the hormones. This is the result of the simultaneous influence of several specific protein compounds that our brain produces in response to certain external and internal factors.

Different hormones of satisfaction, love, joy and happiness act on our body in different ways. So, dopamine is not just a satisfaction hormone, it is a stimulant of active actions and a source of stormy joy from what has been achieved. It is he who pushes people to discover and accomplish, to search for new sources of joy and contentment. Any positive experience: a favorite hobby, success at work and in any other activity stimulates the production of this hormone, and it in turn pushes to finding new sources of positive emotions and achievements.

But the joy of a person can manifest in other ways: in the form of self-confidence, a surge of energy and strength, inner peace and satisfaction from what is happening. The person feels happy and satisfied. This is the so-called quiet joy that the hormone serotonin provides.

Generation of the hormone oxytocin is associated mainly with labor activity (contributes to the reduction of the uterus) and the onset of lactation (prolactin contributes to the production of milk, and oxytocin to its secretion into the mammary glands). In fact, its effect is much broader. Oxytocin can be called the hormone of love, tenderness, attachment. It is with him that they have a sense of loyalty and loyalty. But such feelings under the influence of this hormone only arise to those people whom a person considers to be family, close, best friends, i.e. To their own".

Under the influence of oxytocin, the closeness between mother and child is formed, between loving people and good friends. In the female body, the production of oxytocin is usually at a high level compared to men who are stimulated by the release of this hormone into the blood rather than by touch, but by sexual intimacy. It is after the act of love that men begin to experience special tender feelings and affection for a woman. The most faithful husbands are men with increased production of oxytocin.

As for women, the level of oxytocin in them also increases after the transferred stress. This can justify the fact that the mother puts her mother's life and health above everything else, and if her mother's blood is in danger, her mother, without hesitation, rushes to defense. This explains the increased care for their relatives after the quenching of a quarrel or scandal, i.e. After experiencing a stressful situation.

What is the endorphin hormone responsible for?

Endorphin is a hormone of euphoria, i.e. The highest degree of joy and satisfaction. Strangely enough, but it can be developed in completely opposite situations: both under the influence of a quiet full sleep and rest, and under the influence of stress factors. It is thanks to this hormone that a person in a state of stress can not feel even very strong pain. He pushes brave people to risk their own lives to save others, and they do not feel pain from burns and wounds at the time of the release of endorphins. This property of endorphins is just used in methods of acupuncture.

On the one hand, endorphin relieves the pain that occurs in response to stress, and on the other hand - gives peace and tranquility, which allows the body to recover from difficult trials, whether it is a tragic event, nervous overstrain at work, failure in love or illness.

It should be said that any feelings and emotions in a person are formed under the influence of various hormones, which until the moment of getting into the blood are simple neurotransmitters, i.e. Transfer bioelectric impulses from the nervous system to the brain. A certain amount of endorphin is enough to get the effect of anesthesia and to achieve euphoria, but without the influence of other hormones it has never become satisfaction, happiness, love.

When a person takes opiate drugs, then he experiences just euphoria, but not happiness or love. Yes, our body likes this feeling and it "requires repetition". And it is possible, not only because it is very pleasant, but because when the euphoria ends (the development of endorphins decreases), there is a void inside. For deeper feelings that do not fade with time, you need a complex action of various hormones.

How it works? For example, for the feeling of euphoria, only one endorphin is enough, and that a person has experienced happiness, he must have equally high levels of endorphin and serotonin. To achieve complete satisfaction, relatively high levels of hormones such as dopamine, endorphin and oxytocin are needed, and a sense of love forms endorphin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which should be at a very high level.

As for love itself, then endorphin does not have a decisive role. Serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin come to the fore. Love is a feeling deeper than love, and has nothing to do with euphoria. It is attachment, self-sacrifice, the desire to live for the sake of another person, the ability to accept a partner as he is, the joy of owning and quiet happiness to give oneself without a trace to a close person. The highest degree of pleasure (euphoria) is peculiar to more love, prone to the idealization of the object of worship.

But there is such an important point that was accidentally discovered by scientists studying the influence of endorphins on humans. It turns out that in our body opiate receptors are located not only in the head region, but also in the spinal cord, the structures of the nervous system responsible for various internal organs of man. This allows us to conclude that the system consisting of the pituitary and opiate receptors controls almost all human organs, including the digestive, excretory, respiratory, etc., and not only regulates the endocrine system, which was known for a long time.

Regarding the regulatory function of endorphins, they control both the work of various organs, and the production of other hormones. This became known when opiate receptors were found at the junctions of neurons of other species responsible for stimulating the production of dopamine, adrenaline, acetylcholine, etc.

In theory, endorphins are substances that regulate the activity of regulatory systems, which means that all the processes in the body take place under their control. Otherwise, how could one explain the increase in the pain threshold and the simultaneous improvement of mental activity in stressful situations, when endorphins begin to be developed more actively, simultaneously improve the regenerative processes and work of the immune system, reduce the level of adrenaline and restore the work of various internal organs after the extreme situation ceases to be so ?

It turns out that if a person learns to control the production of the hormone endorphin, he can put all the organs and body systems in order. This would help to avoid failures in the work of various systems, which we call diseases. A stable level of the "happy" hormone would solve the problem of severe reactions to stress, depression, the appearance of the syndrome of chronic fatigue, the decline in labor productivity, etc. A man would become a more enduring and contented life.

It's hard not to agree that the prospect is quite attractive, but how to teach the body not just to produce endorphins in reserve, but also to spend it regularly throwing the optimal amount of it into the blood? It was noticed that people with a full sleep, in general feel more happy and full of energy. This led to the idea that endorphins are produced during sleep. If the sleep time is sufficient, the level of endorphins will also be normal. It turns out that it is only necessary to establish a dream, and a person will become happier, as it can be seen in children.

Alas, optimizing the night rest in the conditions of modern life is often more difficult than trying to stimulate the production of endorphins under stressful situations, which we have enough with our heads. But this is not an option. In addition, such stimulation forces the body to work for wear, as is the case with opium drugs. At first the person experiences euphoria and seems to him that he is ready to roll the mountains, but as soon as the level of endorphins decreases, forces disappear, and inside there is emptiness (aftertaste of stress).

But is there really no other way to make yourself happier, forcing the body to throw out the right amount of endorphins in the blood, necessary to regulate the processes in the body and get pleasant feelings to the heart?