Joy, that happy and optimistic emotion that can be caused by a great event such as the announcement of the birth of a baby or by something as simple as finding the perfect fruit at the organic market, has a great impact on our body.
On an emotional level, we can feel joy in a wide variety of ways: with euphoria, with tears, with a deep sense of satisfaction, and many more.
On a scientific level, we feel joy in our neurotransmitters, which are small “messenger” chemical cells that transmit signals between neurons and other cells in the body. Those neurotransmitters are responsible for processes and feelings in almost every aspect of the body, from blood flow to digestion.
Benefits of being cheerful
-promotes a healthier lifestyle
-immune system improvement
-fights stress and pain
-increases longevity
Each emotion you feel affects your brain and vice versa, and the brain does not have a single emotional center, but different emotions involve different structures.
For example, the frontal lobe (commonly known as the brain’s “control panel”) monitors our emotional state, while the thalamus (an information center that regulates consciousness) participates in how emotional responses are executed.
We feel joy in our bodies due to the release of dopamine and serotonin, two types of neurotransmitters in the brain. Both chemicals are strongly associated with happiness (in fact, people with clinical depression often have lower levels of serotonin).
Thus, when something makes us happy, the brain receives the signal to release these chemicals in the central nervous system , which causes reactions in other systems of the body, for example, the circulatory system.
Have you ever noticed that when you feel especially happy, your face flushes or your heart races?
This is due to the effect of joy on the circulatory system. Of course, joy is not the only emotion that influences this system: fear, sadness and other emotions can also cause reactions.
The autonomic nervous system is also influenced by feelings of joy and euphoria . It is the body system responsible for everything our body does without conscious effort, such as breathing, digestion, and dilation of the pupils.
For example, breathing may increase when we are doing something particularly fun (such as riding a roller coaster) or slow down when we are participating in a more relaxing enjoyable activity (such as walking in the woods).
“Smiling can trick your brain by raising your mood, lowering your heart rate and reducing your stress. The smile does not have to be based on a real emotion because faking it – or smiling without enthusiasm – also works “, explains Diana Samuel, Columbia University Medical Center (USA)
It is well known that your pupils dilate when you are sexually aroused, but they can also increase or decrease with other emotional states.
Other autonomous aspects that can be affected by joy are salivation, sweating, body temperature, and even metabolism.
Any type of emotional arousal can also affect the smooth muscles found in the walls of hollow organs (such as the stomach, intestines, and bladder).
These involuntary muscles are responsible for functions such as blood flow and the movement of food through the digestive tract, so it could be a reason why appetite increases or decreases when we feel positive emotions.
So which comes first, the emotion or the bodily response?
It is difficult to say which comes first because feelings and physiology are inextricably linked.
