Does Happiness Make You Healthier?
By: Brian Hoeflinger, MD
February 9, 2025 | #33
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Disclaimer: Opinions are my own. Not medical advice.
Medical Trivia of the Week
Which neurotransmitter is most associated with feelings of motivation and reward? (the correct answer is at the end of this email)
- A) Serotonin
- B) Dopamine
- C) Oxytocin
- D) Endorphins
Happiness & Health
Today, I wanted to talk about the topic of happiness. I feel that being happy is to feel invincible about your own existence. Happiness brings hope and contentment to your life in such a way that anything seems possible.
Studies show that when we are happy, we tend to be healthier, less prone to sickness, and more productive in our daily lives. It’s like the ultimate drug but in a naturally occurring way.
I am convinced that the answer to being happy is rooted in two basic ideas:
- Having gratitude for yourself and your own life.
- Finding a cause greater than yourself.
By mastering these two concepts, I know that you will begin a transformation in your life that ignites a new awareness and fire within you.
Now, many of you reading this may already be happy in your life and do not need to hear this. I applaud you if that’s the case. But for those of you who seek ongoing personal growth and want to feel more inspired about yourself and your life, please keep reading as I explain my thoughts.
Gratitude: The First Step Toward Happiness
Let’s start with gratitude, and then we will get to finding a cause greater than yourself in a subsequent post.
The dictionary definition of gratitude is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
When it comes to personal happiness, I would modify this definition slightly by saying “readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness to oneself.” I added “oneself” because to be truly happy, you must show gratitude and compassion for yourself.
I understand that we should be grateful for all kinds of things in our life, and that is certainly true, but personal happiness starts within you. Deep inside, we must love who we are. Before any of us can be truly happy about the components of our life, including family, friends, career, and even our dreams, goals, and aspirations, we need to be grateful for ourselves.
It all starts with you. If deep down you can’t love who you are, then nothing can follow. This may sound a bit selfish and arrogant, but I believe it to be true.
I want to tell you a brief story that I heard recently, which pertains perfectly to the point that I’m trying to make. The story involves the selfishness of the human heart.
The Selfishness of the Heart
Our heart receives the best, most oxygenated blood first before distributing the remaining, less oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. You might say the heart is selfish because it takes the best blood for itself first and then gives what’s left over to the remaining organs.
But let’s look at it another way. If the heart stopped working, then there would be no other working organs. The body depends on the heart for life. If the heart dies, so will all the other organs along with it.
The heart needs to be selfish to get the best, most oxygen-rich blood first in order to keep everything else working properly. And so do you.
You need to show appreciation for and kindness toward yourself, as the definition of gratitude states. You need to love yourself, be compassionate toward yourself, believe in yourself, and be confident in yourself so you can begin to grow and succeed in all other aspects of your life. You need to be selfish and love yourself first. Then, and only then, can you take your life beyond what you ever thought possible.
How to Practice Gratitude for Yourself
So on a practical basis, how does one learn gratitude for themselves? By taking time each day to sit down and reflect on it.
- Find somewhere quiet to sit.
- Start with five minutes a day and visualize three things that you like about yourself.
- Visualize in your mind three characteristics about yourself that you admire and are grateful for. It could be that you are a caring person, a funny person, smart, athletic, confident, or spiritual.
- Focus on those three things that make you a unique and special person.
- As you sit there with your eyes closed, visualize a time when you demonstrated these qualities.
Picture a time when you were kind and compassionate to someone else. Maybe you smiled and said good morning to someone. Maybe you helped a friend going through a tough time. Think about how good you made that other person feel.
Or visualize yourself praying at church, focusing on your family, your goals, and your future. Feel the sense of joy and contentment as you think about those things.
Maybe you see yourself telling a joke to a group of people and remembering how good it made you feel to make others laugh. Or finishing a 5K race and remembering how accomplished and proud you felt as you crossed the finish line.
Whatever you pick, use visualization and do this for at least five minutes each day. Make it a part of your daily routine. In doing this exercise each day, you will train your mind to appreciate yourself for who you are, just as you would train a muscle to get stronger.
Studies show that even if you don’t believe what you are telling yourself to be true, repetitive positive thoughts about yourself will gradually rewire your brain to incorporate those thoughts as true. The brain is a powerful computer. It will execute whatever program you tell it to run. If you run a program of self-love, it will execute it.
Then gratitude and love for yourself will become a part of your everyday life, and from there, all other aspects of your life can begin to thrive and transcend beyond what you once thought possible.
So what are you waiting for? Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Start loving yourself today for the rest of your life!!
Impactful Quote of the Week
"Do not wish for death just because your life is hard. All the burdens on your shoulders will help you fulfill your destiny. The only way to get rid of your burdens is to live your life in such a way that you fulfill your destiny.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
All my best,
Brian Hoeflinger
P.S. - if you enjoyed this newsletter, you may enjoy my book that details my life as neurosurgeon and the loss of my oldest son, Brian (see below a synopsis).
My Book
Life and Death . . . Two words with such opposite meaning and which inflict such contradictory emotions and yet are so closely intertwined in our lives. As parents, we bring meaning and life into this world through our children. Our lives become defined as a result. We learn the joy, hardship, and responsibility of shaping an innocent life. But a day will come when that life will be taken. For some, death will come too soon. This is the story of my son, Brian Nicholas Hoeflinger, who died unexpectedly at age 18.
https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinking
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Medical Trivia Answer:
The correct answer is B) Dopamine
