 That's dope. That's the phrase you've probably heard or even used yourself. You said it because you learned of something that gave you a surge of...happy. That's dope. Stands for dopamine. One of the happy hormones. It's the one that's in charge of the pleasure reward system in your body. It's what gives you that feeling of, oh yeah, when you accomplish something. It feels good. We like to feel good. Because when we're feeling good, things get done and we get more rewards. This kicks off the feel-good cycle of motivation. Would you like a sweet ride of your own? Let's look at a few habits to get the dopamine revving. Number one, get some tunes going. Music is a medium that transcends the spoken word. It's emotion and sound, and the right beats can bump up your mood. Sometimes you'll hear a piece that gives you pleasure ripples. And that's the dopamine at work. It feels so good that even anticipating listening to it can start the dopamine release. So give yourself a music moment or two during the day to keep up the joy. Number two, move what your parents gave you. Some might call it exercise, but that can sound like work. Truthfully, that dopamine boost will happen with whatever kind of movement you like. Be it playing a pickup game of basketball or dancing to those aforementioned beats. Just 10 minutes of really moving it can serve a noticeable boost. Number three, get your sleep. Sleep is restorative, as you probably realized after not getting enough, leaving you yearning to crawl back under the covers. Getting that regular good sleep also helps to maintain natural dopamine rhythms, keeping you steady and solid throughout the day. Number four, spend some time in nature. Yeah, there is a reason. Things like camping, hiking and mountain biking are popular activities. Exposure to sunlight and a change from the concrete cubicle just seem to increase the good feels. Sunlight gives you that sweet vitamin D. Maybe that's deep for dopamine. It does trigger dopamine production after all. Number five, socially connect and give free hugs. Ever seen the media representation of the stereotypical prude? You know, the one who is firmly against contact with anyone or anything for any reason? Even chatting with others is restricted. They never look happy, do they? Turns out humans benefit from contact. You don't need to pay for an expensive spa day or a massage. Get and give hugs, play with your pets, and talk about stuff with friends and family. Do a bit of this touchy social thing every day to keep the dopamine cruise smooth. Number six, appreciate all the good things. We're talking about gratitude. Even if life isn't so hot at the moment, there are still good things other than what's happening. Consciously thinking about and being grateful for those things bring pleasant memories to mind. It'll remind you of how you're supported and loved. That will naturally tap into the dopamine production line. Number seven, try something new. You know you wanted to do that thing. Just thinking about doing it scares you a little, but in a good way. Doing something like that for the first time can trigger a dopamine release. The release is because our brains stop finding familiar things challenging or interesting so no reward is given. You certainly might feel comfortable, but that spike of interest is gone. Learning new things though, that's exciting. It's the novelty of the thing that gives the dopamine reward and that rush. Attempt to try something new every day and little things count so try that recipe you've been staring at or finally play the intro to that game you haven't unwrapped yet. It's new and it adds to your brain's knowledge stores. Number eight, set up little wins. The sweet satisfaction of getting something done or the smile you feel when you check off something on the to-do list. That's a little win. Small or big, achievements make us feel just that much better. It's like our brain gets a pop of candy. If there's a list, your brain might associate that list as one candy opportunity after another. This could be the start of something beautiful and productive. Number nine, cold showers. Surprised? Yeah, we know what some of you associate taking a cold shower with. We're not talking about a date that ended in a less than stellar way and also don't give yourself hypothermic shock in a polar best one. You can start off with a warm shower and slowly decrease the temperature so that you finish the shower cold. That coldness jolts your system so you feel more alert, you think clear and have happy hormones including dopamine given the green light to be released. Everything you need for get up and go to deal with the shock. And number 10, protein rich food. That saying you are what you eat makes so much sense if you think about it. Food goes in, gets digested, and what's in it feeds your cells, becoming, well, you. So why not feed yourself things that encourage dopamine production? There's this amino acid called L triazine that's key to that blissful process and it's found in protein rich foods like chicken, almonds, and bananas. Bonus tip, saturated fats, junk foods, and over oily eats actually throw a wrench in the dopamine production. So even more reason to chuck the chips. Whoever thought there'd be ways to hack into happiness? Well, thanks dopamine. Don't stress over these things though. They're here for you to try and starting off small is still starting. So go ahead and get happy. Which of these have you tried before? Or are interested in trying? And how'd you feel? Comment, discuss, and share. Hey, that's social interaction. We're sure tapping that like button will help too. We know it makes us happy. Thanks for watching and we'll see you soon.