The Winning Cocktail - 8 For Great!
Physical Intelligence® looks at our existence and behaviour through the lens of the communication system, the chemical messengers in our bodies and brains. Within that communication system, in this course, we’ll focus on eight key chemicals, (neurotransmitters and hormones), that work in combination to instruct the other six systems to change what they are doing.
8 for Great Chemical Signature Feeling
Testosterone - Power and control
Oxytocin - Social bonding, trust, belonging
Cortisol - Stress, anxiety
Dopamine - Pleasure, reward, need
Acetylcholine - Balance
DHEA - Vitality
Adrenalin - Fear or excitement
Serotonin - Happiness, status
And it can be helpful to remember at this stage, the signature feeling of testosterone for men and women alike is about taking charge. It creates feelings of strength, confidence and risk tolerance. You may call someone to account or ask a penetrating question. You'll need it when you place boundaries around your time.
Oxytocin creates feelings of belonging and trust. Your openness, curiosity and empathy for others rely on it. The resonance in your voice is influenced by it. And people around you experience you as non threatening because oxytocin makes your muscle tone release, so they read your body as open, relaxed and trustworthy. It's also linked to memory and helps you remember the details of people's lives and play back what you hear accurately.
We need cortisol to wake us up in the morning and it keeps us alive. But after that, we need just the right amount. Not too much, not too little. Getting cortisol levels right means managing stress in your life, not rushing from one session to another but creating time and space to think plan connect and prepare well.
For dopamine, it's worth checking if you're having enough fun. being playful finding humor, improvising, celebrating successes, yours and others. These are all behaviors that release dopamine in one of our most Fundamental chemical dances. Dopamine moves us towards what we want and away from what we don't want. So it is the great motivator
acetylcholine rebalances us physically, emotionally and mentally.
By balancing yourself, you can influence others to do the same. A simple sigh of relief releases acetylcholine and can help you prepare you for sessions to
DHEA is a natural performance enhancing steroid creating feelings of vitality and energy.
Levels of DHEA don't change quickly but you know if your energy is gradually diminishing over a period of time because you'll start to lack things like stamina, passion, and you constantly feel fatigue setting in adrenaline is an accelerator it sharpens our reactions and creates feelings of acute excitement or fear.
It causes increased heart rate when someone feels anxious or panicked.
Finally, serotonin is released when we feel content and safe.
95% of our serotonin is synthesized in the guts. It creates feelings of happiness and well being so that we can expand explore and create is boosted by sunlight, vitamin D and movement.
WHAT ARE NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND HORMONES?
Testosterone, cortisol and DHEA are hormones - substantial amounts of each are made in the adrenal glands. Hormones operate primarily in the blood and travel like long distance runners.
Acetylcholine, adrenalin, dopamine and serotonin (their names alI end in ‘in’ or ‘ine’) are neurotransmitters - made in various parts of the body and brain. Neurotransmitters operate in the brain, spine and nerves, and tend to travel shorter distances than hormones; they are the relay runners.
Both neurotransmitters and hormones communicate to the body that change is required. It is useful to know that Neurotransmitters and Hormones are made out of the proteins we eat, which means that nutrition has a powerful impact on us as well.
One chemical, Oxytocin is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter and is made in the pituitary gland in the brain and in the heart. Neurotransmitters and hormones do influence each other in the highly integrated neuro-endocrine network - the amazing communication system.