The Neuroscience Secret to Happiness No One Is Talking About

Secret to Happiness

[Excerpted from You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type by Daniel G. Amen, MD]

You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type is written by psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and brain health expert Daniel G. Amen, MD. In this book, he reveals how to discover your brain type and tailor happiness strategies best suited to your brain type. This book also shows how to improve your overall brain health to consistently enhance your mood, protect your happiness by distancing yourself from the “noise” in your head, and make 7 simple decisions and ask 7 daily questions to boost your happiness.

Brain health is the missing link to happiness, great relationships, and peak performance. My friend Tony Robbins and many other self-help teachers give useful strategies for optimizing the software of your mind, but if the hardware is not working right, you’ll never be or feel your best. The foundational neuroscience secret to happiness that no one is talking about is that you must first optimize the physical functioning of your brain. When you do, you are much more likely to implement the other secrets of happiness and be happier on a consistent basis.

The foundational neuroscience secret to happiness that no one is talking about is that you must first optimize the physical functioning of your brain. Share on X

One of the most important lessons from our work at Amen Clinics over the last 30 years is if you want to keep your brain healthy, or rescue it if it is headed for trouble, you must prevent or treat the 11 major risk factors that steal your mind. The good news is that most of them are preventable or treatable. To help you remember these risk factors, I created the mnemonic BRIGHT MINDS. I have written extensively about these factors in my books Memory Rescue and The End of Mental Illness, so I will only summarize the main points here and show you the intriguing ways these risk factors relate to your happiness.

BRIGHT MINDS FOR BRIGHTER MOODS

Blood Flow

Low blood flow is associated with depression, ADHD, and schizophrenia. It is also the #1 predictor of Alzheimer’s disease. In my experience with our patients, I have found that when they improve blood flow to the brain, it can make them happier.

Retirement and Aging

Brain imaging work reveals that your brain typically becomes less and less active with age. I hate that! One of the most astonishing things I’ve discovered from looking at SPECT scans is that your brain does not have to degenerate. The right plan can delay or even reverse the aging process. Now, that should make anyone feel happier.

Inflammation

You may know that too much inflammation is associated with cancer and arthritis, but did you know that it is also linked to depression, autism, and dementia?

Genetics

Depression, anxiety, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, and other mental health and cognitive issues run in families the same way heart disease does. Emerging research shows that your overall sense of well-being—aka happiness—also has a genetic component.

Head Trauma

Head injuries, even mild ones that occurred decades ago, are a major cause of depression, addictions, and memory problems. If you’ve had a head injury, the good news is that many things can help it heal, even years later.

Toxins

Exposure to any toxin can damage your brain and your happiness. Toxins are some of the most common causes of depression, anxiety, brain fog, irritability, sleep disorders, confusion, memory loss, and aging. At Amen Clinics, our patients who have been exposed to toxins are some of the unhappiest because they feel like they have lost their personality.

Mental Health Issues

Untreated mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), ADHD, addictions, and chronic stress can hurt the brain and make you unhappy.

Immunity and Infections

Your immune system protects you from outside invaders, such as viruses like COVID-19, and internal troublemakers, such as cancer cells. Having any kind of illness saps the joy out of your life.

Neurohormone Issues

Neurohormones are like Miracle-Gro for your brain and essential for stable moods, a strong memory, and a healthy mind. Without healthy hormones, you feel temperamental, tired, and foggy, and your hippocampi will become smaller and weaker, further impacting your mood.

Diabesity

Diabesity is a double-barreled threat to your brain. It involves being overweight or obese and/or having a high blood sugar level (being prediabetic or diabetic). Diabesity does not lead to happiness.

Sleep

An estimated 60 million Americans have sleep-related issues. Chronic insomnia, sleeping pills, and sleep apnea significantly increase the risk of brain health problems and make you feel moody, irritable, and foggy.

In my book, You, Happier, I provide specific strategies to prevent or treat the 11 BRIGHT MINDS risk factors, so you can have a healthier brain and a happier life.

If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already learned how to have a happier brain and a happier life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.  

13 Comments »

  1. Thank you for a great article.

    Comment by Timothy Lee — January 5, 2022 @ 5:52 AM

  2. I have a lot of questions about brain happiness.
    the work involved to getting to a place of feel good, happy almost all the time
    I have had sleep problems since I was a young child. it has followed me all my life. I also have mental illness and and many physical illnesses. I desire to be able to wake up in the morning and feel excited about a new day and to never feel pain in my body and mind again.

    Comment by Paula Thompson — January 5, 2022 @ 12:45 PM

  3. I know that your books are chucked full of the information to work on all areas of life. what you don’t tell is the price for a book so that limited income people can plan and put into their budgets for them

    Comment by Paula thompson — January 5, 2022 @ 12:48 PM

  4. Gracias for your info, Daniel. I wish we can have the name of some lab tests that can help in order to know if we have a profile with some of the issues you are listing. Blessings from México.

    Comment by Renata Chapa — January 5, 2022 @ 1:22 PM

  5. Article filled with wisdom, insite and powerful research! Gratitude!

    Comment by Marilyn Barrett — January 5, 2022 @ 4:09 PM

  6. Hello Paula. All of Dr. Amen’s books (and their prices) can be found at https://brainmd.com/books-and-media/books. For his new book, “You Happier,” you can find the pre-order prices at: https://danielamenmd.com/you-happier/

    Comment by Amen Clinics — January 5, 2022 @ 4:12 PM

  7. Neuro hermone issues re loss of memory

    Comment by Anne Tritt — January 5, 2022 @ 4:35 PM

  8. These are all tips I’ve been using for years to help me stay not only happy but to build and maintain my intuition, faith, and sense of purpose in life. It’s hard to have a happy Heart if you don’t have a happy Mind! Thanks, Dr. Amen!

    Comment by Jennifer Thomas — January 6, 2022 @ 5:15 AM

  9. How can one improve blood flow to brain?
    How one knows that he was exposed to Toxins?

    Comment by Lore Mayo — January 6, 2022 @ 6:10 PM

  10. Hello Lore, thank you for reaching out. Here’s a great article about blood flow and how you can increase blood flow to your brain: https://amenclinics.com/blog/memory-rescue-blood-flow/. For more information related to toxins, check out our integrative medicine protocols here: https://amenclinics.com/services/integrative-medicine/.

    Comment by Amen Clinics — January 11, 2022 @ 2:06 PM

  11. Iam now 69 years old, and currently fighting off depression, and Iam sure that I could use some professional help. Your article was very informative and that’s why Iam contacting you. I live in northern Ky. I thank you in advance and welcome your response David Deal

    Comment by David Deal — January 17, 2022 @ 12:59 PM

  12. Hello David, thank you for reaching out. We would be happy to contact you directly with more information regarding pricing, financing options, insurance, and scheduling an appointment at one of our 9 clinics. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

    Comment by Amen Clinics — January 18, 2022 @ 3:42 PM

  13. what are the toxins that are responsible for depression etc

    Comment by HwaiChan — February 14, 2022 @ 12:58 AM

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