Alter Your Mood and Be Happy With These Scientifically Proven Foods

Pretty much the only thing we have in common with Christian Grey is a preference for exercising control in all things—that and an appreciation for Edward Ruscha—which is why the idea of using food to change your mood sounds so scientific and Übermensch-y (Überfrauen-y?) and just plain cool.

In the pursuit of self-improvement and, you know, feeling better, we've assembled a list of healthy-ish foods and their emotional effects below. Seek bad-day bonbons elsewhere—though there are definitely times when those work too. For when everything is definitely not awesome

Mashed potatoes
Spuds contain the chemical chromium, which raises the brain's serotonin levels. (Serotonin = happy-making.)

Avocado
Besides being creamy and ridiculously tasty, avocado is a good source of fatigue-reducing folate, aka folic acid.

Almonds
There's a reason why magnesium, which these nuts have in spades, has been used to treat depression for 100 years. The omega-3 essential fatty acids in walnuts will do the trick too.

For when you're this close to breaking something/someone's face

Watermelon
The answer here is potassium, a mineral that helps keep blood pressure capped. (Bonus: The dietary fiber buys you some alone time in the bathroom, if you know what I mean.)

Oranges
Vitamin C has been proven to help people handle stressful situations, such as math tests and public speaking, better. Their tough skins mean they won't get smushed in your purse either and make everything even worse. Similar options: blueberries, strawberries, pretty much any berry.

Asparagus
Calming Vitamin B will keep you cool enough to plot your next move/revenge.

KiwisWeird, right? It's that serotonin again, which has been shown in studies to improve sleep quality and duration. 

Cereal
Grains trigger insulin production, which raises your blood sugar naturally. Also try: oatmeal, jasmine rice, whole-grain bread.

(Night) Cheese
Follow Liz Lemon's lead and have a few ounces of cheddar before bed: Calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-inducing melatonin.

THESE 12 MORNING TIPS WILL HELP YOU HAVE A GOOD MOOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY

Nothing is worse than waking up in the morning only to feel grumpy and out of sorts. Luckily, just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed doesn't mean you have to be stuck there, as there a number of helpful morning hacks that can put you in a better mood. If there's ever a time to cheer up, it might as well be in the morning so you can have a great rest of your day, and it doesn't have to take up a big chunk of your morning.





"The mood and thought pattern that you start off your day with, will often determine which direction it goes," says Dr. Kathy Gruver, PhD, LMT, CHt over email. If you start out negative, that is going to lead to more negative thoughts and reactions. If you are in a good mood and something goes wrong it's easier to look at it objectively and deal with it in a rational way."

Some days it can seem impossible to feel optimistic, but there's no reason why we shouldn't try to make ourselves feel better. Ditch the grumpiness and start feeling a little more upbeat using these 11 morning hacks that can help put you in a better mood.

1. Open The Blinds



"Open the shades and expose yourself to direct sunlight as soon as you wake up," says Jon Belford, Psy.D. over email. "This immediate exposure to sunlight will have a positive effect on your circadian rhythm and production of serotonin, which contributes to a positive mood."

2. Put On Some Music



Turn on some of your favorite music when you get ready or make breakfast. Multiple studies show that upbeat music can help improve your mood, according to Healthline. And even if you are feeling down and need to wallow, putting on sad music can help you to release your feelings and feel better as well.

3. Fake A Smile


If you're not waking up with a natural grin fro ear-to-ear, it's time to fake it until you make it. Research shows that even faking a smile genuinely reduces stress and increases positive feelings, says a study from the journal Psychological Science. "Think of it like 'happy hygiene,' and institute it until it is habit, like brushing your teeth," says positive psychologist Pax Tandon over email. "It will take some dedicated effort to remember to do this, but eventually becomes second nature."

4. Do Something Nice



"Using your energy to enhance someone else's life or experience is empirically proven to be one of the most effective ways to boost our positive emotions and make us happy," says Tandon. "It can be as simple as an 'I appreciate you' text to a parent, a few extra minutes stroking your pet, or buying coffee for a homeless person."

5. Express Your Gratitude


"Do a gratitude exercise where you meditate on three things in your life that you are grateful for," says Tandon. "This puts you in a space of 'what's going right' above what's going wrong or not working and automatically shifts your perspective to a positive one." Practicing gratitude can help your mood in the short-term and long-term, including relieving symptoms from anxiety and depression, according to Harvard Health.

6. Read An Uplifting Story




"Start with positive news stories," says Cara Maksimow, LCSW, CPCover email. "Often the most talked about and sensationalized stories that come across our televisions or social news feeds are negative. Try turning off the news or reading uplifting and positive stories in the morning." Websites such as The Optimist and The Delite are great places to read positive-only content.

7. Meditate


Morning meditation can be extremely helpful, and you don't have to sit in silence to reap the benefits. Concentrate on your breath, inhale and exhale. On the inhale think, 'I am' and on the exhale think, 'at peace,' and repeat with every breath," says Gruver. "This can be done anywhere: in the car, in the shower, walking the dog..."

8. Eat A Good Breakfast



What you eat can affect how you feel. "Grabbing carbs and caffeine doesn't help sustain our energy or cognitive function," says Gruver. "Protein, fats and carbs are key!" If you're not sure what's best, try to incorporate these foods that can help improve your mood.

9. Drink Some Water


You should hydrate first thing in the morning, as even just mild dehydration can cause moodiness and fatigue, according to a study from the Journal of Nutrition. "Drink a large green tea, water, or veggie-based smoothie," says Dr. Kristen Lee, Ed.D., LICSW over email.

10. Take A Walk


"Take a brisk walk or run," says Lee. "Both have been proven to be highly effective in increasing endorphins and serotonin and help us process and problem solve." If you can, find some nature to stroll in, which can help alter your mood and lower stress levels, according to research from Stanford, but any physical activity — regardless of where it is — is good for the brain and your emotions.

11. Journal



"Even after our best efforts we sometimes wake up on the wrong side of the bed," says Keya F. Williams, MS, RYT over email. "Its important to honor those negative feelings and give them an opportunity to be expressed. Think of your journal like a trusted, non-judgmental confidant that you can say anything to without any filters." Writing down your feelings can help you manage anxiety and stress, fight off depression, and help you prioritize your fears and concerns, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Carve out time each morning to do an activity that feels good for you — it sure beats only rushing around feeling stressed out.

Images: Pexels (11); Pixabay (1)

How Your Mood Changes The Health Of Your Skin

Not looking your best can definitely can put a damper on your mood, but did you know that your mood could be the reason for breakouts, wrinkles and a dull complexion.

Stress, anger, depression, embarrassment and fear are some of the fundamental emotions that we go through every day and each of these moods adversely affects our skin. This damage also depends upon the longevity of our emotional state. Long lasting mood swings have much longer lasting and irreversible effects on our skin. Similarly, good and happy mood has some positive beauty benefits for your skin.

Anger
Anger affects our facial muscles. Anger decelerates skin’s healing, fastens wrinkling and produces dark spots. People who hold in their anger often suffer from rashes, hives, warts, eczema and acne.

The Blues
One of the biggest drivers in the bad mood-beauty connection are feelings of anxiety and depression. Depression produces higher levels of cortisol in the blood stream which leads to premature hair loss, skin pigmentation and hormone changes that can result in weight gain. Depression also causes acne.

Sadness is another by-product of depression. Repeated frowning and furrowing of eyebrows, due to depression, can deepen the wrinkle lines on your face. Prolonged depression is disastrous for skin. It triggers hormones that can affect sleep-patterns, thus leading to puffy eyes and dull complexion.

Embarrassment
We all have experienced severe embarrassment at one point of time or another, and it is something we do not easily forget. But effects of embarrassment can also easily move from our brains to our skin. Neuropeptide receptors in our skin receive mixed signals from brain, causing chronic swollen blood vessels and sleep deprivation. Embarrassment increases acne problems. Blood flow to skeletal muscles is also hampered due to embarrassment. The organic structure of our skin cells weakens and enzyme production rates are altered, due to embarrassment.

The Effects of Stress on Beauty
Stress causes acne breakouts. Some scientists believe this tension-induced acne is caused by an increase in sebum, an oily matter that is supposed to help protect skin but easily mixes with dead cells and bacteria to clog hair follicles and create pimples. It is a nasty cycle: Stress brings on a pimple that won’t go away because you’re stressed-and that stresses you out.

Stress can also interrupt your body’s production of new collagen, a group of supportive, structural proteins located throughout your body. Without new collagen, your skin can become thinner and weaker. What’s more, being in a bad mood could cause your skin to become dehydrated. In addition to looking unsightly and feeling uncomfortable, this can affect cells’ ability to recover after injury.

Feeling Good, Looking Great
Most of what scientists know about the mood-beauty connection is focused on the negative-how bad moods, stress and depression negatively affect your body. But the reverse is true, too. Less stress and depression might logically mean less acne, hair loss, skin dryness and fat accumulation. A bulk of research links good moods to behavioral decisions that translate into beauty benefits.

Improving your mood improves your eating habits. Healthier foods have less sugar and saturated fat, which can make you feel bloated or cause breakouts and oily skin.

Keeping yourself hydrated, well rested, and cheerful can vastly improve the tone of your skin, and even help it stop sagging and wrinkling too early in your life.
It’s Not a Sign of Weakness if You Have a Good Cry. Crying actually releases negative hormones from your body resulting in lowered stress levels and an actual elevation of mood afterward. Crying actually releases negative feelings through your tears.