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Friday, October 16, 2015

Are good moods caused by pleasant memories, or vice versa?

You may have noticed that when in a good mood, you'll either relive a pleasant experience, or indulge in a pleasant fantasy about something you hope will happen.

Conversely, when in a bad mood, you'll stew over an unpleasant memory, or will worry about some potential catastrophe.

And either of these moods can strike without any immediate catalyst, i.e., anything good or bad happening in your life.

But is it thinking about fond memories which puts us into a good mood? Or do biologically-induced good moods steer us in the direction of pleasant reveries?

Are bad feelings sparked by a random series of thoughts which then cause us to remember something unpleasant, and then go into a funk? Or are they, too, primarily functions of our neurochemistry?

I suspect it's the latter. When your serotonin and endorphins are going full blast, and you're well rested, and your blood sugar is just right, that predisposes you to travel down neural pathways which stimulate the pleasure centers of our brains.

And, when you're exhausted, you tend to become more paranoid and think negatively.

Certainly, unpleasant experiences can put us into a bad mood. When bad things happen, that makes us feel bad, no question. But when nothing particularly noteworthy has happened recently, our mood ought to be independent of recent experience.

I know I tend to think more pleasant thoughts right after having exercised (when the endorphins are circulating), or right after having eaten. Or when I'm well rested.

Think of how alcohol can put us into a good mood, or cause us to think silly thoughts. My guess is that our normal biorhythms can have similar, but subtler effects.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes after work, I thoroughly enjoy a glass of wine, causing me to relax, that and a good book. I usually feel peaceful and content.

-birdie

John Craig said...

Birdie --
That shows good self-sufficiency.

Anonymous said...

Talking to a good friend can put me into a good mood, that and doing something nice for someone else can also cause me to feel good, producing good "highs."

-birdie

John Craig said...

Birdie --
Yes, I can get the same thing. But I'm talking about times when there seems to be no external reason for feeling like that, and certain mood will just come over you.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, that happens, but doing specific things can also lead you to experience internal positivity (happiness).

-birdie

Runner Katy said...

Great thoughts there! I believe you're correct on the levels of serotonin, dopamine and even endorphins affecting your mood, without anything external happening. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all know the exact amount of sleep, exercise and food needed to keep these feelings all day? Do you ever notice that certain music can prompt the same feelings?

John Craig said...

Runner Katy --
Yes, you're absolutely right, music has that effect too, good music can make you feel euphoric.

As far as the other stuff, I think the more sleep the better, and exercise at least every other day. Regarding food, my guess is that most of us should learn to listen to our bodies more, and only eat when we're hungry, as opposed to when it's lunchtime, etc.

Runner Katy said...

Too funny on the timing...I'm trying to tell myself I need to eat lunch before I lose the window of opportunity, but think I had a bit too much protein this morning and not much appetite left.

John Craig said...

Runner Katy --
Hey, I'm probably a couple hours late with this, but in that case, just have some water and wait till dinner.