The 7 Habits of Happiness According to a Brain-Health Expert

Change your brain; change your mood.

Photo by Milad B. Fakurian on Unsplash, edited on Canva

According to a recent survey, Americans are the unhappiest they’ve been in the last 50 years. And they’re not alone. The latest World Happiness Report concluded that negative feelings are rising globally.

The bottom line: Everyone is unhappy (except for the Finnish)— and it sucks.

In a recent video, brain-health expert and New York Times Bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen tackled this topic, explaining why we’re unhappy. He says that our sense of uncertainty has skyrocketed. We fear we will get sick. Worse, we fear someone we love will get sick.

The result? We’re fed up.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Dr. Amen argues that the secret to feeling happier is to strengthen our brains. We often underestimate the havoc an unhealthy brain can bring. We often forget the impact our brain’s neurochemicals have on our mood.

That’s why Dr. Amen suggests we introduce the following happy-brain habits:

Take Happiness-Boosting Supplements

In Dr. Amen’s book, Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most, he cites research that confirmed the positive effects some supplements have to fight depression. Since they boost the brain’s health, they boost your mood.

Best of all? So long as they’re taken in the correct quantity, these supplements don’t have the nasty side effects of many antidepressant drugs. So if you’re feeling low, you might consider taking:

Saffron in a clinically effective dose (30 mg.). Plus, this can help with your libido.
Curcumin (around 400 mg. can significantly improve mood and memory). Moreover, a study cited in Dr. Amen’s book showed that saffron mixed with curcumin is even more effective. Easy ways to do this is to buy a supplement that has both or blend the spices into your smoothie or yogurt (this is what I do).
Zinc. This mineral improves your mood and your immunity.
Omega-3 fatty acids (higher in EPA than DHA) from fish oil or seeds.
Vitamin B6. This vitamin is crucial for your mood stability and avoiding memory loss.
Magnesium. This mineral is great for helping you feel calm.
Ashwagandha. This is an Indian spice that positively affects your nervous system, lifting your mood and focus.

Protect Your Brain’s Pleasure Centers

“You don’t want to dump dopamine into your system, you want to drip it.”

— Dr. Amen

Have you ever wondered why many superstars succumb to drugs and alcohol? Why the people who should be the happiest in the world kill themselves or look miserable?

The answer lies in the nucleus accumbens, the part of the brain in charge of motivation and reward. Because of its connection to dopamine, the pleasure neurochemical, it’s the brain area responsible for addictions.

Many things trigger dopamine in our brains: a work promotion, a compliment, a kiss — but also alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. In fact, while the first three are like tiny dopamine injections here and there, the last three send a dopamine rush, making us feel happier than ever.

Moreover, the nucleus accumbens is like a muscle. If overly stimulated, it wears out, making us incapable of feeling pleasure whenever little things happen.

That’s why some famous people become drug addicts. Being constantly in the spotlight overworks their nucleus accumbens, making them immune to small pleasures like a smile or a hug, making them seek solace in drugs to feel something.

An easy way to feel happier, then, it’s to avoid wearing out our nucleus accumbens. That way, we will continue experiencing joy for the small pleasures in life.

To protect our pleasure centers, Dr. Amen suggests we:

Limit the use of constantly stimulating devices such as smartphones and video games.
Practice regular physical activity.
Learn how to perform “whole-brain combination workouts”.
Meditate.
Drink green tea.
Take magnesium.
Sunbathe.
Watch comedy movies or series.
Eat pumpkin seeds.

Connect With Happy People

“People are contagious.”

— Dr. Amen

You’ve probably come across the longest study ever done on happiness. After more than seventy-five years following the lives of a group of men, Harvard researchers concluded that the secret to happiness is the quality of our relationships.

How close are you to other people? Most importantly, how are those other people? Do they bring you up or down?

If the people who surround us are filled with negative energy, we will share their blue mood. But if we connect with happy people who look at the bright side, they will lift our spirit. As Dr. Amen says, “people are contagious.”

This is why so many articles about toxic people have flooded the internet. Whether we want it or not, people influence us. We’re a social species. Therefore, try to eliminate or limit the time you spend with emotional vampires and opt for joyful company instead.

Eat Happy-Brain Food

“If you eat a fast-food diet, you will have a fast-food mind that is less capable of thinking and reliable decision making.”

— Dr. Amen

The brain is an energy-consuming organ. Since it uses twenty to thirty percent of the calories we eat, the dietary decisions we make affect it deeply. Depending on our choices, we can fall prey to mental fog and lower moods.

Fortunately, the opposite is also true. What we eat can boost our brain health and, in doing so, boost our happiness.

In Dr. Amen’s book, he talks about the brain warrior diet. In other words, how to eat your way to a healthy brain. The previous link leads to an article in which I explained this in detail, but here I’ll write some examples of happy and sad brain foods.

Examples of happy foods:

Green tea.
Salmon.
Blueberries.
Red bell pepper.
Dark chocolate.

Examples of sad foods:

High-added sugar foods like ice cream.
Processed foods.
Alcohol.
Vegetable oils.

Notice What You Like More Than What You Don’t

“Where you bring your attention determines how you feel.”

— Dr. Amen.

This habit can seem obvious, yet most of us still let too many negative stimuli enter our lives. In a way, it’s natural. Our brains are problem-solving machines. They’ve evolved to notice what is wrong to help us survive.

However, we’re no longer in the middle of a savannah. We’re no longer at immediate risk of death — at least most of the time. Worse, we now live in an age that bombards us with so much negative input that it can feel like everything is a tragedy.

But have you stopped to notice all the random acts of kindness people have done during the pandemic? True, there have been lots of idiots, but also heroes. We’re the ones who decide where to look. We get to choose whether we want to feel disappointed or inspired.

We must train our brains to notice the positive. How?

Limit your intake of news. They tend to focus on the negative because that’s what draws eyeballs.
Write down your five happiest experiences, then imagine re-living them.
Write down the name of one person you appreciate every day. Then tell him or her.
Write three things you are grateful for every day. Though trite, this is the best-researched method to positively rewire your brain.
Start every day with the words, “Today is going to be a great day.” According to Dr. Amen, “your mind makes happen what it visualizes. When you start the day by saying these words, your brain will find the reasons it will be a great day.”

Ask Yourself: Who Needs Me?

“People with purpose live longer. Besides brain health, it’s the key to happiness.”

— Dr. Amen

Seeing that your life has meaning, that it can make someone else’s better, has a profound effect on your happiness. This is the main takeaway from Viktor Frankl’s famous book, Man’s Search for Meaning.

After enduring four years at a concentration camp during the holocaust, Frankl concluded that those who had a reason to wake up in the morning were the ones who survived despite all odds.

Frankl, himself, had a powerful purpose: He wanted to share his findings with the world. And he did. Why? Because purpose not only makes us happier, it makes us live longer. Having something bigger than himself kept Frankl moving, kept him looking forward. Kept him hopeful.

However, most of us struggle with purpose. We don’t even know what we’re passionate about.

If you’re like that, consider doing what Frankl did every morning at the concentration camp. He asked himself: “Who needs me?”

That kept him alive.

Kill the ANTs

“Every time you have a thought, your brain releases chemicals. When you think angry, hopeless, helpless, worthless, out-of-control thoughts, your brain releases a certain set of chemicals that make you feel bad and it happens almost immediately. But the exact opposite is true.”

— Dr. Daniel Amen

ANTs — automatic negative thoughts — crawl into our minds without permission, driving us insane. If left to run rampant, they can lead us into depression or anxiety. That’s why, as Dr. Amen says, we must “disinfect our minds.”

To do this, Dr. Amen suggests we train ourselves to question our thoughts whenever we feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control. After enough repetitions, we’ll create a habit of fighting our ANTs, which can significantly boost our happiness.

So, whenever you experience a negative emotion, write it down and ask yourself:

Is it true?
Can I absolutely know that it is true?
How do I feel when I believe that thought?
How would I feel if I did not have that thought?

Afterward, consider the opposite thought (the positive version) and repeat the questions until you find the truth.

Remember: If you believe your ANTs, you will suffer. But if you notice their irrationality, you save yourself.

Change Your Brain; Change Your Mood

“The end of mental illness begins with a revolution in brain health.”

— Dr. Amen

Currently, we’re facing a pandemic worse than COVID-19: an unhappiness pandemic. And though no habit can rival the positive effects of the world getting healthier and safer, we can work on ourselves with Dr. Amen’s happy-brain habits.

By changing our brains, we can improve our moods. By remembering that neurochemicals have a massive influence on our well-being, we can actively pursue happiness.

So why not introduce at least one of Dr. Amen’s recommendations?

At worst, you’ll experience no improvement and be tempted to move to Finland to finally understand why they’re so happy (it’s cold, though). At best, you’ll help others and yourself feel happier.