4 Ways To Boost Your Mood Naturally!

We’ve all been there.

Irritable. Giving the stink eye to anyone dumb enough to hold open a door for you. Sending the elevator to the floor above you because you get annoyed with the guy who needs it on the ground floor. Slamming cupboards because you can’t find the Nutella.

We’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way! Just remember these four easy things and you could perk up your mood easily!

Fuzz Therapy

Have a pet? See a friendly fur-ball walking down the street with your neighbor?

Give them a pat!

Petting a dog for just 15 minutes releases the feel-good hormones serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin, and lowers the stress hormone cortisol, a University of Missouri–Columbia study says. You’re more of a cat person? No worries: Other research has found that playing with your kitty gives a similar mood and health boost.

Plus it’s super cute. Win/win!

Smile

Just smile. It doesn’t have to be real, though, it’d be better if it was. But that might be hard for your mood. Fake one if you have to!

Fake it and you’ll feel sunnier. In a Clark University study, one group of participants was told to smile and another group was told to frown. Afterward, both groups were shown cartoons—and the smilers rated the shows funnier than the frowners did. The simple act of smiling seems to activate happiness centers in the brain.

Eat

No, we’re not saying to snack unhealthily or eat a tub of ice cream. That’d be stupid. But you CAN add these foods to your diet to help out:

Fish, for omega-3s—a University of Pittsburgh study found that people with low levels of this healthy fat were more likely to be depressed; Brazil nuts, for selenium—being low on this antioxidant can get you down; and orange juice, for folate—too little causes a dip in happiness-helper serotonin.

Don’t Ignore The Human Touch

Hold hands, touch a shoulder, kiss a loved one. Just don’t be a creep about it.

Human touch releases uplifting endorphins like serotonin, and reduces blood pressure and heart rate, making you more relaxed and content, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study says.

Sounds pretty easy, right?

According to math, you’d be the happiest person ever if you drank some OJ, smiling, while petting a dog and getting a back rub from your lover.

LOLz. Try these out!

[Image via AP Images.]