[venusss]

just something I found on the Internets...

Neuroscientists learn that joy comes through dancing, not drugs



Too little has been written about the biology of joy. Most of the articles in the medical literature about brains and emotions are devoted to explaining how we feel fear, anger, anxiety and despair. This is understandable, because we don't go to doctors when we are feeling optimistic, happy, and joyful. Most of what we know about the chemistry of our emotions has been learned from the disorders and the treatments of people who are sad and depressed.
But we can't just accept this and say, "Why bother?", because too many of us are seeking to find joy by taking chemicals. We need to ask, "What happens inside our brains when we experience happiness? Is there a way to stimulate pleasure in our brains, and what really happens when we do that?"


...


So happiness is not made by a chemical. That would be the same as treating a violin sonata as nothing but rubbing horse hair on strings of cat gut in order to make a wooden box resonate. Violin makers have to know their materials to make one, and physicians have to know about the brain chemicals in order to treat patients, when the chemistry of brains has gone wrong, but they can't give us a pill to make us happy. We create our own joys, and we feel happiest in learning to trust each other.

http://soma.berkeley.edu/archives/IE10/97.html

[noneedtoknow]

One way to stimulate "pleasure" in the brain is good old excersize-that release of endorphins feels pretty good!. Also that rush of Oxytocin when you are nursing a baby or evan when you are holding a dear child that you love. Sex is a good one.Meditation. Helping another out. I don't now if there is a "joy" hormone per say. Maybe we just havn't found it yet.I hear what you are saying about joy not being studied. It has only been in not that many years past that we are finally looking at "positive" psychology instead of focusing on what is "wrong" all of the time. I think we are starting to get there. Granted, we have a long way to go. Interesting thoughts for today! Thanks
noneedtoknow

[lynn P.]

Very important and interesting article. Also good facts from noneedtoknow as well. When ever I spontaneously laugh really hard, I feel a buzz afterwards and a flood of happiness. I'm sure we've all experienced laughing and then saying "Aww I needed that". I think it also helps to immerse yourself in something you absolutley love doing. Here's a link that's talks about the benefits of laughing.

http://www.babyboomers.com.au/baby-b...-medicine.html

[ladyjrnlist]

I can only speak for myself here, but I don't take meds to be happy. I take them to function. I get happiness and joy from experiencing life, as the article suggests. Happiness is not created by taking in chemicals, ask any recovering addict.
Stimulation such as dancing, laughing, causes the brain to create endorphines, which give us a natural high and lift our moods. Now, if they could bottle endorphines, I would totally sign up for that. LOL.