Mastering Happy Chemicals and Stress Management with Loretta Bruning

In this episode, Elena Apalkova is joined by Loretta Bruning to delve into the fascinating world of happy chemicals and their impact on our lives. Loretta shares her journey into studying dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin, providing insights into how entrepreneurs can boost these positive hormones. They discuss strategies for managing stress chemicals and techniques to activate happy chemicals purposefully. The conversation covers the role of neutral states and habit formation, the importance of breaks, and avoiding negative patterns. Loretta emphasizes balancing emotional responses, handling the fleeting nature of dopamine, and the effects of social comparison on happiness, offering valuable knowledge for enhancing well-being. (0:00) Introduction and background of Loretta Bruning (1:15) Loretta Bruning's journey into studying happy chemicals (4:11) Understanding dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin (17:49) Tips for entrepreneurs to boost positive hormones (19:54) Managing stress chemicals effectively (26:12) Techniques to purposefully activate happy chemicals (27:31) The role of neutral states and habit formation (31:33) Managing automatic reactions and brain chemistry knowledge (33:49) Half-life of stress chemicals and habit development (35:15) Importance of breaks and avoiding negative patterns (37:37) Balancing emotional responses for better well-being (40:22) Dealing with the fleeting nature of dopamine (41:24) Effects of social comparison on happiness