Abstract
Emotional lability is common after the menopause leading to significant unhappiness and deterioration in wellbeing of ageing women. Happiness results from the complex interplay of multiple endogenous and exogenous correlates which release “happiness hormones” and other neurotransmitters. These activate emotion centres in the brain resulting in a feeling of happiness and that of well-being. The emotional centres in the cerebral cortex and subcortical regions of the brain are connected by sophisticated limbic neural networks. This intricate network is controlled and stimulated by a number of neurotransmitters which are responsible for the integration, interpretation, formulation and the response to these correlates resulting in the perception of happiness. These neurotransmitters include oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, the “so-called happiness hormones” as well as gonadal hormones, gamma-aminobutyric acid, endocannabinoids and epinephrine which are the primary role players. The secretion of these hormones and neurotransmitters reflects interplay and/or interaction of one’s environment, relationships, diet, exercise regime, and even one’s gut microbes and the establishment of the sensation of happiness and well-being. Genetic makeup accounts for only 30-40% of one’s happiness. This review article describes the interplay between the neuroanatomy, the complex interlacing neural network and the neurotransmitters which are impacted by external factors.
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