Master the Power of Serotonin: An original approach to happiness and Zen meditation

By Hideho Arita

Chapter 1: Controlled breathing activates the secretion of serotonin in the brain


Chapter 2: The secret to living a life with plenty of serotonin

Chapter 3: Grooming behavior is key to relieve stress

Chapter 4: The healing effect of tears

Chapter 5: Serotonin fosters creativity

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Peace Books
• Release date: Oct 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781642731019

Hideho Arita

Hideho Arita, M.D., is Professor Emeritus of Neurophysiology at Toho University School of Medicine.

Book preview

Master the Power of Serotonin

An Original Approach to Happiness and Zen Meditation

© Hideho Arita 2020

ISBN: 978-1-64273-101-9

No part of this may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher. For information contact the publisher. Every effort has been made to accurately present the work presented herein. The publisher and authors regret unintentional inaccuracies or omissions, and do not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the translation in this book. Neither the publishers nor the artists and authors of the information presented in herein shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.

Written by Hideho Arita

Translated by Carlota Solà Marsiñach

English Edition Published by Hideho Arita 2020

Edited by Andrew P. Kirkham, Yumi Itabashi

Book Designed by Lamplighters Label

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Contents

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Controlled breathing activates the secretion of serotonin in the brain

A brief history of controlled breathing:

What is controlled breathing?

The effects of controlled breathing on serotonin secretion:

More about serotonin:

How can we increase our serotonin levels?

What are the causes of a serotonin deficiency?

IT societies hinder the activation of the serotonergic system:

The lifestyle of a Zen priest as a role model:

Chapter 2

The secret to living a life with plenty of serotonin

1. Five tips to bring out the power of serotonin

2. Walking rhythmic exercises activate the serotonergic system

Walking for the sake of physical health differs from walking for the sake of serotonin activation

Combine walking and breathing to increase the effect

3. Everyday life techniques to activate the serotonergic system

4. The serotonergic system has two powerful enemies

5. Let’s secrete more serotonin to have a good night’s sleep!

The anti-aging effect of melatonin

Let’s live a hybrid life!

Chapter 3

Grooming behavior is key to relieve stress

What is oxytocin?

Pleasant touch or grooming:

The one who touches can also be healed:

Grooming a pet can also be effective:

Chatting with a close loved one also activates the secretion of oxytocin:

Only mammals produce oxytocin:

To business people: let’s go for a drink after work!

Oxytocin is not secreted when using digital devices:

The secretion of oxytocin activates the secretion of serotonin:

Behind love lies oxytocin:

Those who are kind benefit themselves:

Chapter 4

The healing effect of tears

1. The role of the prefrontal cortex

The case of Mr. Gage:

2. The role of crying:

The different types of tears:

Infant crying:

Adult crying:

Empathy activates the prefrontal cortex and fosters crying:

3. The health benefits of tears

Crying activates the parasympathetic system:

Crying reduces stress:

What are the causes of crying?

How is crying perceived?

Ruikatsu can help you sleep well:

Chapter 5

Serotonin fosters creativity

Steve Jobs and his Zen meditation training:

Zen meditation fosters creativity

Zen meditation helps you read people’s feelings

Intellect is also essential for intuition

Serotonin activity in the IT society and AI era

The zone of sports players from a neuroscientific perspective

Suppressing the intellect fosters the activation of the intuitive brain

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Preface

The first time I came across serotonin it was 1982, when I was a young doctor working in internal medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of Tokai University, located in Japan. At the time I was conducting research on sleep apnea, and I made an interesting discovery: sleep apnea was partially caused by an inadequate secretion of serotonin in the brain. As a result of this discovery my research gained quite a lot of attention from scientists around the world, and I was invited to speak at an international conference in Marseille, France, where I had the opportunity to present my research results at a gathering conference of doctors specializing in the study of serotonin. By then I had already been wondering for some time what the function of serotonin was.

The day before my presentation was due, I was walking around the port town of Marseille when I experienced something akin to a flash of inspiration. All of a sudden, I thought: Perhaps there is somehow a relationship between the action of serotonin and Zen meditation? This unexpected bout of intuition was the start of my decades-long neuroscientific research on the practice of Zen meditation and its relation to the secretion of serotonin.

After returning to Japan from the conference, I began reading all the literature I could find about Buddhism in order to be able to obtain a broad and comprehensive view on the study of serotonin. Gradually, I became more and more convinced that there might indeed be a link between Zen meditation and the action of serotonin. Consequently, I spent the next three decades at the Department of Neurophysiology of Toho University, with the aim of verifying this theory.

Along my research journey, I had the opportunity to meet many competent people: some of them were Zen monks from all over Japan, others were yoga instructors or psychiatrists, members of the university’s Faculty of Health and Welfare, as well as professional Shakuhachi players. There were many other collaborations; in fact, too many to write them down. In any case, the important thing to highlight was that all these people provided invaluable insight and support: we conducted joint experiments, fascinating ideas emerged, and new discoveries were made. And after so many years of research, I think I can say that I succeeded in