On days when we feel good, we tend to be at our best. So what makes us feel good? Could there be something that happens in our brain that makes us feel safe and comfortable? What can we do to take a little bit of control over it?

The answer to all of those questions lies in oxytocin. If you look at the Myers Briggs T/F scale of Thinking or Feeling, I’m a high T (most of the time, but that’s another story). I’m really not much of a feeler. I tend to make decisions by pulling myself out of the equation and looking at things from a rational and logical standpoint. After that, I make my decision. So it may come as a surprise to hear me talking so highly about the value of oxytocin.

Oxytocin is the feeling hormone responsible for calmness, safety, and trust.

Oxytocin is commonly referred to as “the feeling hormone.” It is released when parents bond with their children, when we get a hug, and receive a gentle caress physically. When our oxytocin levels are raised, we feel calm and safe. We feel some generosity and an overall connection to those around us that we are interacting with. Another big feeling we get is trust. Like other chemicals in the brain, the over effects of oxytocin are felt not by absolute levels, but instead by changes in levels. That means that if we can raise our levels of oxytocin, no matter what they are at, we will feel the overwhelmingly positive effects. Before we get to the ways to raise our levels, let’s first examine the practical benefits of oxytocin. Even though the vast majority of the benefits of Oxytocin are emotional, there are physical benefits as well. First of all, oxytocin helps to ease stress. Studies show that it helps reduce lower blood pressure and reduce the levels of cortisol in the body. Lowering cortisol helps avoid the fight or flight mentality and reduce panic. Oxytocin is also found to have anti-inflammatory properties and can aid in physical healing.

Those working in a high trust environment experience physical benefits.

Working with a group of people that you trust will obviously bring more enjoyment to your day to day. The best part though is it can actually increase physical health. Working in a high trust environment has shown to recover quicker from cardiac activity and experience rapid reductions in anxiety from stress. It’s no surprise that they also experience less chronic stress. In fact, Paul Zak of Claremont Graduate University in California conducted a study and found that people working in high trust environments experience 53 percent less chronic stress, take one-third less sick days and have almost 10 percent fewer doctors visits per year. All of this is in addition to the obvious benefit of increased productivity at work. Since you’re working with people you trust, group activity and individual accountability is higher. People just don’t want to let others down, especially when they feel emotionally close to them.

Raising oxytocin levels can be done by interacting with others, or by yourself.

One of the most interesting things about oxytocin is that our bodies react to self-compassion and our own actions in the same way as as if we received compassion from others. As silly as this sounds, your body will react to you giving yourself a hug in a similar way as it would receiving a hug from someone else. You can say the same thing about a soft touch on the side of the face, which is probably easier to do without looking crazy. I use these two as examples though on how you can influence your own levels of oxytocin. This also applies to being generous, complimenting others, or even just maintaining eye contact while talking. Generating oxytocin is cyclical, meaning that if you engage in behaviors that raise someone else’s levels, you yourself get a boost as well. That’s why it feels good to give hugs, give compliments, and to be generous.

You can engage in activity to give yourself an immediate boost.

Since we know you feel the benefits of oxytocin from changes in levels, and we know that we can influence our own change in levels, let’s go over some ways to do it other than giving yourself big hugs. Here’s a short list of ways to increase your own levels without feeling silly.

• Give Hugs – Let’s be honest, I’m not much of a hugger. That being said, I do hug my wife every morning at night and should probably do it more often. Studies show that giving at least 8 hugs a day can reduce stress and improve your immune system by releasing oxytocin.
• Be Generous – Giving gifts is another great way to raise your levels as long as you’re not expecting something in return. Gifts can be store bought items or simple favors done for co workers.
• Engage in Social Media – I will rarely advocate for social media use because of it’s addictive and isolating properties. That being said, short time use of social media has been shown to increase oxycontin levels.
• Hold Eye Contact – When you’re talking with someone, make eye contact and hold it. This not only tells the other person that you’re listening, but it strengthens the bond of trust that you share.
• Compliment Yourself and Others – Giving an unexpected compliment is a great way to brighten you and your recipients day. This can be used on yourself too. Next time you finish a difficult task, say to yourself “Nice work. You did a great job.” Try it.

In conclusion, it’s important to recognize the impact that our “feeling hormone” has on trust, performance, health, and overall happiness. I’m hoping that you have learned something while reading this that you can put to use today.

Thank you again!

– Tim

Photo: Tabmako,