One way to promote healthy serotonin function in your brain could be as simple as heading outdoors. Sunlight might be part of the mechanism that keeps the brain optimally synthesizing and using serotonin. In autopsy studies, serotonin levels in the brains of people who died during the summer are higher than for those who died during the winter. Researchers think sunlight works by increasing the amount of serotonin signaling in the brain, says Dr. Barnett.
Another lifestyle strategy believed to boost serotonin is to get plenty of exercise, he adds. In one study, physical activity was shown to increase the firing rates of neurons that use serotonin, which spurs both the synthesis and release of the chemical. Other research has shown exercise increases the amount of tryptophan that enters the brain, which may als lead to a bump in serotonin production.
Finally, a few small studies found that getting a massage may also help. Why remains a question mark, but the benefits are clear: A review of the research found that, on average, massage led to a 28% increase in serotonin and a 31% increase in dopamine (another feel-good hormone), as well as a 31% decrease in the stress hormone cortisol.
“We’re getting to a point where we understand more about serotonin neurons: where they go, what they do, what causes them to do what they do,” says Blakely. “It’s been a revolution for our understanding of the brain’s circuitry.”
Zimply Zakieh 