Happiness and Exercise

16 January 2022

“7 Easy Things to Do Tonight That’ll Help You Wake Up Happier Tomorrow”
[https://flip.it/BtFILu]

Happiness is seen as something we have or don’t have. Things go our way and we’re happier. Things don’t go our way and we’re not happy.

We either have stuff/situations we want, making us at least content if not happy. Then again we could be lacking something or worse, we could get things/situations we don’t want. That could make us sad, angry, or frustrated.

There are a few approaches to these scenarios: The feelings are just the raw feelings: sights, tastes, bodily senses, sounds, scents, and thoughts; they are just feelings with no intrinsic value at all. The perceptions we apply to them determine our responses – how we ultimately ‘feel’ about them. The stuff/situations are empty.

“How does exercise help mental health?”

Regular fitness activity, for example, is known to enhance the creation of blood vessels, communication between nerve cells and brain synapses, and the new formation of nerve cells from stem cells, Henriksson says.

Research also suggests exercise stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor 1, contributing to reduced anxiety-like behavior in mice and benefiting the brain’s ability to change and adapt.

Other studies suggest exercise can reduce levels of proinflammatory cytokines, increase levels of beta endorphins, reduce response to stress through regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and increase levels of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream. This boost promotes relaxation. {Inverse Daily, “🧠 Let’s talk about exercise and anxiety” 16 January, 2022}