A Formula for Keeping an Emotional Equilibrium

            Our tense society looks at emotional outbursts as a symptom of disease.  Psychiatrists and drug companies try to dampen emotions, quiet them, and ignore them.  Chemicals are distributed like candy with average patient doctor visit time lasting fifteen minutes. Feelings are spoken of as adjectives that are a reaction to a stimulus.  They are treated as a problem. 

            Now that we are able to analyze emotions and their chemical compounds in laboratories, we are learning that they are entities in and of themselves that affect our bodies, our health, and our society. The book, Dynamics of Crowd-Minds: Patterns of Irrationality in Emotions, Beliefs And Actions by Andrew Adamatzky even studies emotions as molecules and their effect on crowds.         

         For all humans chemicals are manufactured in our bodies that are the building blocks of emotions. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel warm, loved happy and secure. A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse to a postsynaptic element such as another nerve, muscle or gland. Serotonin is also a neurotransmitter, just like dopamine. Its purpose is to regulate mood, thinking, and impulse control. Serotonin makes us feel calm and relaxed.

            When there is a lack of serotonin, there can be depression, anxiety, irritability. Epinephrine is produced in our bodies and is part of the fight or flight response. It increases blood flow and can make us feel panicked or nervous. Nerve cell bodies manufacture dopamine. Ocytocin and Prolactin are chemicals we produce from hugging and comfort.  They help us socially bond and feel secure.

            Looking at these emotions as scientifically related to chemicals gives us a new lease on our emotional lives. The neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp wants to look at how we can help humanity learn how to maintain a positive equilibrium with their emotions and has done this by looking past the traditional ways we examine feelings.  From his work I postulate, that we all just need to play more when we get depressed.  So, the next time you feel sad, tickle a friend, see a happy movie, or go on a fun ride.

            Perhaps our own play and laughter will stimulate the brain positively through just as it does in rats.  So, the next time you get too serious, or want to get out of a funk try doing something playful, and perhaps check out Jaak’s Ted talk where he tickles rats. The science of emotions: Jaak Panksepp at TEDxRainier shows us how Doctor Panksepp is breaking ground with play and laughter to keep our emotional equilibrium.