Serotonin, dopamine, endocannabinoids: these are all neurotransmitters, that is to say chemical substances which the cells of the nervous system utilise to communicate with each other and to regulate specific states of mind. In other words, their release in specific sequences determines the emotion of happiness in people.
On 28th June 2012 happiness and research into it were considered by the General Assembly of the United Nations to be “[...] a basic need of humanity, [...] recognising furthermore a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach that will promote sustainability, eradicate poverty, and enhance well-being and happiness”. Since then, every 20th March we celebrate world happiness day, but what really happens to our brain when we are happy?
“The question could be misleading, because whilst it is true that happiness develops from our brain when certain areas are stimulated, such as the cingulate cortex, the islands of Reil and the prefrontal cortex – the same as those which are activated when we are sad –, we correlate happiness with specific corporal sensations which are the somatic correlation of this emotion”. Replying to this is Alberto Priori, the neurologist from Milan's Università degli Studi .
Happiness then, like all emotions, involves the modulation of the sympathetic nervous system which determines some of these corporeal manifestations of the emotions. For example, it determines an increase in adrenalin which can trigger tachycardia, sweating and a modification of blood pressure and of respiration rate which are also features of fright.
“We can say that the brain is the room where happiness buttons are located, with happiness perceived as a state of mind of positive fullness and satisfaction associated with a physical sensation of well-being”. The neurologist also adds that “happiness can be considered as a sort of muscle insofar as it needs to be maintained and in a certain fashion kept efficient, by habitually cultivating emotions, a healthy lifestyle and positive thoughts”.
Words used on an everyday basis can actually contribute to our emotional state and thus, in the final analysis, to happiness. Language can indeed lead to complex changes in the brain, by provoking emotive transformations which depend directly upon certain chemical substances. “Getting used to utilising and listening to positive language – quite simply an “I can do it” or “it will all be all right”– and avoiding the use of negative expressions –“I'll never manage it”, “it's impossible”– can contribute on an every-day basis to the determination of one's own happiness”, further explains Priori who is also the co-author of the recent book“ Abracadabra. The therapeutic power of words in myths, traditions and neuroscience”, published by the Milano University Press (2023).
So this begs the question as to whether this emotion can in some way be taught. Among the most authoritative courses that set themselves the ultimate goal of what is referred to as the pursuit (and discovery) of happiness is undoubtedly The Science of Well-being at Yale University in America, which, given its success, has been digitised and made available on the Coursera e-learning platform. The science of happiness, as the prestigious university teaches, stems from bringing together established sciences such as psychology, sociology, biology, quantum physics, and also, of course, neuroscience. This merger has consequently led to the emergence of Martin Seligman's positive psychology, a model for understanding what factors are really able to influence the psyche to achieve a state of fulfilment.
“Teaching happiness, however, is very difficult because luckily, despite the effect of the media that tend to set what can at times be seen as harmful standards of happiness, it remains a completely individual emotion, the result of an alchemy that makes it unique in each of us,” reports the neurologist. “It Is possible instead to enhance certain tools that we have to perceive and assimilate this emotion better. Happiness is in fact a much larger dimension that goes beyond optimism or a state of well-being. It is such an individual dimension that we can assimilate it, almost a constitutional imprint inherent in each of us.”
On the exact same subject, a 1996 study by a duo of researchers at the University of Minnesota, Anke Tellegen and David Lykken, argued that happiness depended on a mix of genetics (50%), events and life experience (10%) and on a component that can be modified thanks to active work towards achieving it (the remaining 40%).
The ability to feel gratitude, the ability to forgive, and optimism are all elements that are considered fundamental to influence the genetic and environmental effects, helping us in the pursuit of personal happiness. It is always a matter of practice to look for it in every detail of our daily lives.
