The Brain's Natural Happy Pills

How to increase Feel-Good neurochemicals

It's Spring in the UK and Blossom Week at the National Trust. A seven-day celebration of all things blossom, a fleeting seasonal spectacle of Nature's finest. Apple, pear and cherry blossoms are a sight to behold.

But it's the UK's best-loved wildflowers, the Bluebells, dubbed the 'fairy flowers' due to their delicate beauty, that has my attention.

Jetlag has barely eased as we head to our favourite Bluebell display before they disappear. Who knows when we will be back in Spring to savour this sight?

Still chilly, still muddy, we head for Chartwell National Trust, one of our favourites and the bluebells close by.

Armed with our newly minted National Trust membership cards and badge, we park at Chartwell, proudly displaying our membership badge.

Across the road, up the hill through the mud, around the corner, a dense carpet of petite, delicate purple-blue flowers stretching as far as the eye can see stops us in our tracks. Sensual overload fires up neurotransmitters to cascade serotonin and dopamine.

Dog-walking locals direct us further to the best views. The sun plays with us, peeping from behind clouds to bring the flowers to life and then hiding again to allow photos without shadows.

My heart sings with joy at this sensational spectacle.

The short climb up the muddy path has been worth it.

However, the flowers are a small part of the rich biodiversity of this ancient and precious woodland ecosystem.

Bluebells are an important source of nectar for bees and other pollinators, and many species of butterflies and moths use the flowers as a food source for their caterpillars.

Birds like thrushes and blackbirds feed on these insects attracted to the flowers. I wish I could identify the melodious bird song I hear, but that's another project.

Night-feeding badgers frequent these woodlands. They dig setts (burrows) in the bluebell fields, sometimes damaging the flowers, but also help create habitats for other wildlife like voles or shrews - none out for me to see today.

I feel like I am in a favourite storybook from childhood, adventuring with my favourite characters.

This profound experience has me questioning how nature causes us to feel so good. How does it work? Off I go down the rabbit hole, or was it a badger hole of research questions to find out?

I find out that when we spend time in nature, our senses are stimulated differently from our everyday experiences. This stimulation can lead to the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which is associated with feelings of happiness and well-being.

For example, the smell of fresh flowers or the sound of birds chirping activate reward centres in our brains, causing a release of dopamine. Similarly, exposure to natural sunlight can trigger the release of serotonin, which helps regulate our mood and promotes feelings of calmness and happiness.

These neurotransmitters create a positive association in our brain with the sensory experience, making us feel good and happy. Over time, this positive association can become reinforced, making us seek out these experiences even more. This is why many people find nature and being outdoors relaxing and rejuvenating. We keep going back.

I also discovered this interesting theory:

The Attention Restoration Theory is a psychological theory that suggests that spending time in natural environments can help restore our ability to focus and concentrate. The theory proposes that our brains have two types of attention: directed attention and involuntary attention.

Directed attention is the type of attention we use when we focus on a task that requires effort and concentration, such as studying for an exam or completing a work project. This type of attention requires a lot of mental effort, and it can be difficult to sustain for long periods of time.

Involuntary attention, on the other hand, is the type of attention captured by stimuli in our environment, such as the sound of a bird chirping or the sight of a beautiful sunset. This type of attention is effortless and can help our brains recharge and recover from the mental fatigue that can result from sustained, directed attention.

A restorative environment allows our minds to relax and recover from the mental fatigue resulting from sustained attention to work or other tasks.

Twenty-four hours later, I still feel the calming, positive effects of my time in the ancient woodland, savouring the transient beauty of its Springtime gift.

So sitting on my deck back home, morning coffee steaming, looking over the lavender to our beehive, the bees busily making honey for our toast, would be a good way to create feel-good chemicals. Walking on our local beach, whiling an hour or so watching whales happily heading to their holiday destination in Queensland or flying halfway around the world to see Bluebells are also great options.

Nature is always there for us to tap into and soak up her energy. All we have to do is pay attention and become more mindful to reap rewards. I call it Sit and Soak. No effort required.

And then I go and spoil everything...

My daughter bought us a Coronation souvenir tin of shortbread. One tempting, buttery, delicately sweet vanilla-flavoured bikkie won't hurt.

But that satisfyingly crunchy, crumbly, delicious shortbread kicked off a dopamine-fueled sugar surge, followed by the inevitable 'come down' and hangover, which made me irritable and lasted far too long.

Neurochemicals are slippery suckers. They can make you feel great one minute and then kick you to the curb the next.

So, how can we more proactively generate lasting feel-good neurochemicals to increase well-being?

I remember a conversation with my 50-year-old son-in-law a while back. He exercises daily without fail, always makes great food decisions and hasn’t touched alcohol in five years. I asked him why he does it. He told me: 'It just feels so good!' I know his regime includes activities that don’t feel good at first but produce long-lasting benefits. That’s what I call the ‘feel so good about myself’ bit.

Sounds like a plan to me.

What if we familiarised ourselves with neurochemicals and focused on creating more feel-good and less of the stress chemicals?

I'm after more:

Dopamine is associated with reward and motivation. We can increase dopamine levels by setting and achieving goals, exercising, listening to music, and engaging in activities that we enjoy.

Serotonin is associated with mood regulation and feelings of happiness. We can increase serotonin levels by getting sunlight, exercising, and practising mindfulness.

Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" and is associated with social bonding and trust. We can increase oxytocin levels by cuddling or hugging someone, spending time with loved ones, and practising acts of kindness.

Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers and are associated with feelings of euphoria. We can increase endorphin levels by exercising, laughing, having sex, and eating spicy foods.

What if we aim to feel good as well as feel good about ourselves and then squeeze the juice out of that plan for as long as we live? Sounds like a strategy for aging.