Dmitry Alferov/Getty Images Got the Sunday scaries? You’re not alone. Achieving happiness is a goal for just about everyone (and not just on Sunday evenings). Whether it’s therapy , exercise or meditation , we all want to bring more peace and joy into our lives. When we think about what makes us happy, our diet isn’t usually at the top of the list (unless your favorite fast-food joint brings joy to mind).
What we eat can play a role in how we feel. Studies linking nutrition and mental well-being have emerged in the past decade, and certain foods are associated with increased serotonin in our brains. Serotonin , also known as the "happy hormone," is a chemical that plays an important role in regulating our mood. Low serotonin levels can cause mood instability.
For more mental health resources, try these simple ways to improve your mental health without therapy , and check out our list of ways to manage anxiety without medication .
Read more: Best Mental Health Apps 8 foods to boost your happiness
Here are our favorite foods for a lift. 1. Dark chocolate
You know the typical scene in movies where a girl sits on her couch in sweats, eating a tub of chocolate ice cream. Turns out Hollywood was on to something. A systematic review found that dark chocolate can positively affect one’s mood. There are three main components found in chocolate that are associated with the feeling of happiness: tryptophan, theobromine and phenylethylalanine. Tryptophan is an amino acid the brain uses to produce serotonin. Theobromine is a weak stimulant that can improve your mood. Meanwhile, phenylethylalanine is another amino acid used by the body to produce dopamine , which acts as an antidepressant. 2. Bananas
If there were ever such a thing as "good mood food," bananas are probably it, but maybe not in the way you think they are. Although bananas contain serotonin , it is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (think of the BBB as a wall that filters what can and cannot enter our bloodstream and make its way to our brains). […]
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