How to Feel Good, Happy and Calm

Or… how to have good levels of dopamine, serotonin and GABA

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You are responsible for your own feelings, so take control of your emotions, change your attitude, think positive ... these are popular motivational slogans that may be well intended, but do not really address the fundamental matter of how best to achieve the emotions you seek.

Those emotions are produced by particular neurotransmitters that are active in the brain: dopamine, serotonin and GABA. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers and are made from the food you eat. So before you embark on various lifestyle changes that will make you feel good, happy and calm, consider changing your diet first.

Feeling good starts with dopamine, because this is the neurotransmitter that provides instant gratification. But beware the double-edged sword: too much dopamine can draw you down a dark alley, a long way from happiness.

Dopamine motivates you to achieve your goals, or to learn new things. For some, it stimulates the competitive spirit. For others, it provides the creative drive. It is also the source of pleasure and reward.

Dopamine is the messenger, sent from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, to another area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, in anticipation or expectation of a reward. What you are actually craving, when responding to the siren call of your favourite fix, is not satiety, it is dopamine.

But first you need to start with the right raw materials. Those raw materials are the amino acids that your gut extracts from the protein you eat. You just have to eat the right proteins.

Making dopamine is a step-by-step process. The first step requires the amino acid tyrosine. Tyrosine is first converted into a chemical called L-dopa, and L-dopa is then converted into dopamine. The drug form of L-dopa is the standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease, because people with this condition lack sufficient dopamine, because of damage to an area of the brain where this neurotransmitter is produced.