Two Roads to Fulfillment: Novelty and Challenge

What makes us happy, really happy, is a sense of fulfillment. But where does that come from?  Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at Emory University, decided to find out, and when he did, he wrote it all down in a new book,  "Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment." In this story in the Los Angeles Times, Berns shares his knowledge, and says some surprising things.  Berns’s research, the Times reports, suggests that satisfaction requires two important
ingredients that nature has designed our brains to crave: novelty and
challenge. Those two experiences, in turn, appear to encourage the expression of the neurotransmitter dopamine, as well as a
surprising dose of the so-called stress hormone cortisol. What does all this have to do with exercise or fitness?  A little. It turns out that cortisol levels rise with vigorous physical exercise, and under the
right circumstances can elevate mood, increase concentration and even
improve memory. Add novelty, which appears to release dopamine, and you’ve got what Berns considers an excellent recipe for satisfaction. Read more.