You can aid the happiness of your brain by taking on activities that generate key experiences and chemicals:
- Dopamine for motivation, learning and pleasure.
- Oxytocin for trust and building relationships.
- Serotonin for significance and importance.
- Endorphins for euphoria and elation.
Without oxytocin, you can be subject to feelings of loneliness, stress, disconnection and a general lack of motivation. It's important for bonding with loved ones and friends and without it you can feel anxious and on your own. It's the chemical that helps you give and receive love in all its forms.
Along with getting outside for exercise, eating well and nurturing conversations, video games can also help. Games that generate oxytocin are those that let you stay in the present moment with other people. Games that offer ways to communicate for the joy of conversation, or helping and being helped by other players, help your brain make this chemical. Games where you care for a pet or look after people generate this chemical. This is maximised in experiences that combine this activity with music and a sense of creative flow in what you are doing.
This list includes 18 games from the last 11 years, with 1,730 likes. They come from a range of different genres and play-styles and are all good games if you want to generate oxytocin.
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