The Power of Your Senses: How Everyday Life Affects Your Brain, Mood & Behaviour

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In the article, ‘How Daily Experiences Create Stress and Fatigue’, we explored how everyday sensory experiences can impact our wellbeing, often without us realising. Seemingly inconsequential encounters have the potential to drain our energy, affecting our ability to cope and thrive, yet we rarely address them because we think they are normal.

It’s interesting that we don’t actively consider how life affects us through our senses, especially since their influence is woven into everyday expressions across cultures. In English, we talk about ‘keeping in touch,’ or something that doesn’t ‘feel right’. Different languages may use different words, but the sensory association is still there. For example, in German they don’t say they’ve had a ‘gut full’ with a situation, they say they ‘have a nose full’! By looking at these expressions, we can see that cultures have always linked sensory experiences to emotions and behaviours.

To reclaim our understanding of how our senses affect us, it’s helpful to start with an overview of the emotion centre of our brain, the limbic system, and a concept I call the ‘Happy DOSE.’ Together, they help shape how we feel and behave. Understanding these aspects of our biology allows us to enhance our ability to relax, rejuvenate, focus, manage stress, and sleep soundly.

The Limbic System: Your Emotional Processing Centre

The limbic system is a set of brain structures that plays a key role in processing emotions, memories, and stress responses. It communicates with other areas of the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-order thinking skills like logic and decision-making. It is sometimes called the ‘Executive function’ centre. In contrast, the limbic system—often referred to as the ‘emotional brain’ or ‘primal brain’—has evolved to react more instinctively to needs like food, water, and safety. Ideally the communication between these two areas results in us making sensible choices and taking positive actions. However, in times of high stress, whether physical or psychological, the limbic system can dominate which means clear thinking and rational decisions can sometimes take a back seat.

While there are other structures within the limbic system, three main areas control how we respond to the senses:

Firstly, the amygdala, it evaluates sensory experiences to decide whether they are emotionally ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and whether big or small physical and mental reactions are needed. It works closely with the hippocampus, another essential part of the limbic system. This stores the factual details of our memories which are layered with emotional significance shaped by the amygdala. Our factual and emotional memory help determine the type of response we have when we are presented with the same sensory experience. If an event is new, the amygdala still relies on past experiences combined with current sensory input to determine what an appropriate response should be.

The hypothalamus, a key area of the limbic system, receives signals from the amygdala and initiates physical and emotional responses throughout the body. For instance, during a highly stressful event, the hypothalamus activates the body’s alert systems, triggering the ‘fight or flight’ response. This process leads to the release of chemicals like noradrenaline, adrenaline, and cortisol which boost our energy and alertness. It also prepares the body by increasing the heart rate and the rate of your breathing.

When the amygdala senses a positive experience, the hypothalamus and other parts of the limbic system initiate processes that release mood-enhancing chemicals throughout the brain and body. These are referred to as neurotransmitters and include Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins, which I collectively refer to as the Happy DOSE.

Dopamine: Our instant reward neurotransmitter. Originally it encouraged us to engage in behaviours such as hunting for food, seeking shelter, reproduction and more. It rewarded effort that supported survival.

Oxytocin: Encourages social bonding and nurturing behaviours.

Serotonin: This supports our general sense of wellbeing in areas such as mood regulation and confidence. It also helps us feel energetic during the day. We get boosts of this when we engage in behaviours that support our physical welfare and engagement with others. Once again, it’s all about rewarding us for actions that promote our chances of survival.

Endorphins: Our built-in pain relief chemical, it helped us push through physically challenging times which could also create a sense of euphoria.

How Sensory Inputs Trigger the Happy DOSE

The sensory experiences of everyday life have a powerful impact on our wellbeing, either enhancing or limiting the release of the Happy DOSE chemicals. Here are just some examples. As we discussed in the first article, the senses have been reframed to highlight their powerful impact on our sense of wellbeing.  

Sight – Aurora (light and Colour) and Atmosphere (Surroundings and Layout)

Hindering Triggers:

• Harsh Lighting: Stimulating white lights can be good short term but if they are too strong or used too long, they can cause headaches and tension, which can elevate stress and prompt the hypothalamus to release stress hormones. You may not even realise this and assume it is the task alone causing your stress.  

• Cluttered Environments: Visual clutter can overwhelm the brain, making it harder to organise information. This may lead to reduced focus and heightened anxiety. If you are ‘used’ to a space, your brain must still assess it. This means you may not respond in an overly emotional way, but it is still using energy that you could be putting to better use.[i]

Stimulating Triggers:

• Natural Light: Exposure to sunlight increases serotonin production (amongst other chemicals), enhancing mood and focus.[ii]

• Pleasant Visuals: Viewing art, nature, or appealing colours can stimulate dopamine release, lifting motivation and providing a sense of pleasure through the interaction of the hippocampus and amygdala.[iii],[iv]

Sound – Acoustics

Hindering Triggers:

• Music: Listening to music is enjoyable but if it doesn’t align with the mental state you’re aiming for it can be distracting and drain your energy. For example, when you’re trying to work, playing music with lyrics or at the wrong tempo can disrupt your focus, even at low volume.[v]

• Sudden Sounds: Unexpected noises can alert the amygdala which trigger the hypothalamus to activate the fight or flight response. This can occur at subtle levels creating an undercurrent of stress that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with the sounds around you. Think cutlery dropping, getting interrupted when you are deep in thought, a car back firing, a dog barking, sirens in the background and even your phone. They all add up.

Stimulating Triggers:

• Music: Music can be harnessed in specific ways to bring joy, relaxation and boost motivation. For example, when selected appropriately, music stimulates the release of dopamine and endorphins, improving mood and even reducing pain perception. The hippocampus associates memories with familiar music, enhancing the emotional experience.[vi] Of course, the opposite can also happen.

• Nature Sounds: Sounds like flowing water or birdsong can increase serotonin levels, promoting relaxation as they engage the amygdala in a calming way and actively reduce cortisol.

Smell – Aroma

Hindering Triggers:

• Unpleasant Odours: Bad smells can evoke negative emotions as the amygdala and hippocampus associate these odours with previous unpleasant experiences which trigger a level of stress. For example, rotting food or mould.  

• Chemical Scents: Synthetic fragrances may be harmful, resulting in headaches or allergic reactions, affecting overall wellbeing.

Stimulating Triggers:

• Pleasant Aromas: Scents such as lavender and vanilla are known for their calming effects. They can positively influence the amygdala and hypothalamus promoting the release of a Happy DOSE. Lavender, in particular, has been studied for its role in reducing anxiety levels and promoting relaxation. It’s likely that this effect contributes to an increase in endorphins and serotonin.[vii]  

• Aromatherapy: Essential oils, for example, lavender eucalyptus and peppermint engage the amygdala through the olfactory pathway. Essential oils contain active compounds such as a-pinene (lavender and eucalyptus) and menthol (peppermint) that can amplify emotional effects.[viii]

Taste – Appetite

Hindering Triggers:

• ·Excessive Sugar: Sugar can provide a temporary dopamine spike, but this can lead to crashes and mood swings.[ix]

• Ultra-Processed Foods: Lacking essential nutrients, a diet high in ultra-processed foods may reduce mental energy and the brain’s ability to regulate mood effectively, such as limiting your exposure to a Happy DOSE.

Stimulating Triggers:

• Enjoyable Foods: Eating foods you love releases dopamine and serotonin, providing pleasure and satisfaction. This also taps into memories triggered by the aroma. Processed foods can deliver this effect short-term, but this can be followed by the negative effects described above.

• Balanced Nutrition: Foods rich in tryptophan, for example, turkey, eggs, and nuts, help the body produce serotonin, supporting mood stability and relaxation.[x]

Touch – Action (Touch, Movement, Temperature)

Hindering Triggers:

• Physical Discomfort: Even uncomfortable seating or clothing can irritate and distract, signalling the hypothalamus to increase alertness.

• Lack of Touch: Social isolation or lack of a comforting touch can reduce oxytocin levels, contributing to feelings of loneliness and anxiety.[xi]

Stimulating Triggers:

• Physical Contact: Hugs, massages, and holding hands trigger the release of oxytocin strengthening social bonds and reducing stress.[xii]

• Comfortable Textures: Soft fabrics and pleasant tactile sensations can release endorphins promoting relaxation and calming the amygdala’s emotional responses.[xiii]

To create a full Happy DOSE, you could take a morning walk with friends in a park, where you breathe in the fresh scents of grass and flowers, enjoy the sounds of birdsong, and later have eggs for breakfast. Voilà!

Read the Happy DOSE article to gain more insight into each DOSE chemical and how today’s world effects our experience of them.

Balancing Stress and Calm

It is normal to flux between states of calm and stress. Stress doesn’t have to always be intense or negative either. We just don’t want to experience extreme stress for prolonged periods of time as this wears us down physically and mentally.

As you have read, the hypothalamus plays a pivotal role in the stress response. It regulates our sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which manages the ‘fight or flight’ response, preparing the body for action. The hypothalamus also manages the counterbalance to this, the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), which promotes ‘rest and digest’ functions, helping us relax and restore energy. Together these systems form the main parts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

Our senses provide powerful gateways to influence our emotional and physical states. In a modern world filled with constant stimuli, knowing how to activate your rest and digest processes can help you achieve a calmer state, while avoiding unnecessary fight or flight triggers.

Taking Charge of Your Sensory Environment

The first step is to become aware of the sensory experiences in your environment.

Ask yourself: What sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures do you experience regularly? How do they make you feel? Can you identify opportunities to create more supportive sensory environments? Even minor adjustments can impact mood, stress levels, focus, and relaxation. The next time you feel irritated doing something, check in with your senses. For example, are you physically uncomfortable in your chair? Is the room too warm or cold? How is the lighting? Are there sounds or people talking nearby? What have you eaten today – are you hungry or did you feel tired after eating? Sensory inputs are occurring all the time. Raising awareness of their importance on our wellbeing is a key goal of Total Sensory Wellbeing.

By intentionally engaging your senses, you' don’t have to unconsciously react to your environment— instead you can make adjustments to actively shape your emotional and physical experience of the world.

To discover how Total Sensory Wellbeing can elevate your daily experiences visit Nriched Living and follow Total Sensory Wellbeing on Instagram.

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References:

[i] McMains, S.A. and Kastner, S. (2011) 'Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex', Journal of Neuroscience, 31(2), pp.587-597. Available at: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/2/587.

 [ii] Lambert, G.W., Reid, C., Kaye, D.M., Jennings, G.L. and Esler, M.D. (2002) 'Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain', The Lancet, 360(9348), pp.1840-1842. Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(02)11737-5/abstract.

[iii] Ulrich, R.S., Simons, R.F., Losito, B.D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M.A. and Zelson, M. (1991) 'Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments', Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), pp.201-230. Available at: https://typeset.io/papers/stress-recovery-during-exposure-to-natural-and-urban-1kmtia9hut.

[iv] Biederman, I. and Vessel, E.A. (2006) 'Perceptual pleasure and the brain', American Scientist, 94(3), pp.247-253. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27858773.

[v] Raypole, C. (2023). Music and studying: It’s complicated. Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/does-music-help-you-study#benefits-of-music-for-studying.

[vi] Salimpoor, V., Benovoy, M., Larcher, K. et al. (2011). Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. Nature Neuroscience, 14, pp. 257–262. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2726.

[vii] Kim, Y.J., Choi, S.W. and Park, S.A. (2003) 'Effects of tactile stimulation using an assortment of natural elements on the psychophysiological responses of adults', Horticulturae, 9(12), p.1293. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9121293.

[viii] Battaglia, Salvatore. (2020) ‘The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy – Second Edition’, The International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy, pp. 194,246.

[ix] Knüppel, A., Shipley, M., Llewellyn, C.H. and Brunner, E.J. (2017) 'Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: prospective findings from the Whitehall II study', Scientific Reports, 7(1), p.6287, National Library of Medicine, 27 July. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532289/.

[x] Lakhan, S.E. and Vieira, K.F. (2008) 'Nutritional therapies for mental disorders', Nutrition Journal, BMC, National Library of Medicine, 21 January. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2248201/.

[xi] McNichols, N.K. (2021) 'The vital importance of human touch', Psychology Today, 3 August. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/everyone-top/202108/the-vital-importance-human-touch.

[xii] University of Miami (2020) 'Scholar touts the advantages of touch', University of Miami, 27 April. Available at: https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/04/scholar-touts-the-advantages-of-touch.html.

[xiii] Fetell, I. (2011) 'Sad times call for soft textures', Psychology Today, 20 June. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/design-and-the-mind/201106/sad-times-call-soft-textures.