Four Chemicals We All Need

David Nagai
10 hours ago
4 min read

There are four chemicals that every human needs to have a life that is balanced and flourishing. Now, most people know about these chemicals, but it's so easy for us to forget that we need them every single day to have balance in our lives.

These four chemicals are dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins.

* Listen to audio here *

First is dopamine.

This is the reward chemical. It helps us feel motivation to take action. So, we get dopamine when we achieve a certain result and accomplish things.

For example, we finish our work and then we get a boost of dopamine. We can get this through exercise where we accomplish our goal of exercising. We can get it from food, sex, or novelty (new, original experiences), which is something unique that we do – something that stimulates us.

Dopamine is really something that stimulates us and makes us feel alive. And in our modern world, sometimes we get our dopamine in unbalanced or unhealthy ways through overwork, gambling, alcohol or other drugs, pornography or even social media. So this hit (quick boost, injection) of dopamine makes us think that we got what we need, but it doesn't satisfy us completely or for the long term.

And actually, if you think about social media… we scroll and scroll and get stimulated, and we get this dopamine. Or, somebody likes our post and we feel special, like we accomplish something. So when we constantly get hits of dopamine, we want it to last, but it's not meant to last all the time. It's supposed to come in waves.

So social media gives this unnatural, big spike (sudden increase). Or alcohol gives us this big spike that is unnatural. And then we want it to sustain and keep on going, but then we crash and then we want more. And this is a source of addiction where we're constantly chasing more and more dopamine constantly, but we need to have regulation.

The next is oxytocin.

Oxytocin is the love chemical or the bonding and connection hormone. It reduces stress and builds connection.

We can get oxytocin through physical touch, sex, and positive emotional connection with people. We can even get oxytocin through holding our pet and interacting with our pet.

And it doesn't have to be just physical. Oxytocin can be obtained through eye-contact with people, positive words, and just positive connection being in people's presence.

We can even give ourselves oxytocin by saying kind words to ourself to express our gratitude about our life. So these positive emotional thoughts and mindsets can increase the chemical.

Sometimes we think we're getting oxytocin because we're married, we live with a partner, or we spend time with friends or colleagues, but actually if those relationships are toxic or negative and take away our energy, that's actually not giving us the positive oxytocin we need.

So don't be fooled if your relationship with your partner, family, friends, or coworkers is always stressful and negative. That actually causes more stress. It doesn't give you the positive aspect of oxytocin.

The next one is serotonin.

This is a mood stabilizer. So it makes us feel calm, confident and healthy. If you don't get serotonin, you might feel anxious or depressed.

You can get serotonin through exercise, sunlight, a healthy diet, being in nature, meditation and even practicing gratitude. We often get serotonin quickly by eating carbs (carbohydrates) or sugar. You know, junk food or alcohol or other drugs.

This can be deceiving because alcohol, for example, makes us feel relaxed, but it's actually depressing us, so it's going to make us feel low or depressed or anxious in the longer term.

The other chemical is endorphins.

So this is the painkiller or the stress reliever chemical. The best way to get this is through exercise and also sunlight, meditation, breathing exercises. You can even get it through doing something creative or through laughter. So comedy is good.

But again, we can often indulge (satisfy, enjoy a lot) ourselves in quick fixes to get endorphins through overeating or alcohol or just any distractions that relieve our stress. But in the long term, it makes us feel bloated, fat, or tired. Or maybe depressed or lonely.

So those are the four chemicals: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. And that's D-O-S-E – DOSE. So we can think of getting the right dose or the right amount of each of the chemicals each day and each week of our life.

I think a big challenge in our busy, modern, technological world is that we don't get the right chemicals in the right amount.

So here are my questions for you:

How is your chemical balance?

What healthy and unhealthy ways do you try to get these chemicals every day?

Do you get enough of each chemical in a healthy way?

If we find the right balance, we can be most fully energized, fulfilled and alive.

* Listen to audio here *