Eating bananas makes you happy?
Eating bananas makes you happy?
Serotonin has been shown to prevent depression and improve the mood. (1) And since banana contains serotonin, it should keep us happy, right? Or, maybe not?
This myth about banana keeping us happy and preventing depression due to its serotonin effect has been going around on the internet for a long time. Although banana does contain serotonin, it does not cross the blood–brain barrier. Thus, its effects on the brain in improving the mood is limited. (1)
Having said that, here are some reasons why eating a banana might make us happy:
Our bodies use vitamin B6 to synthesize serotonin. Banana is a very good source of vitamin B6. In fact, just one banana can provide 1/5 of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin B6 for an adult. Therefore, banana indirectly helps to maintain our mood and possibly avoid depression. (4)
“A hungry man is an angry man”. Banana can balance hunger and mood between meal energy slumps as they help to stabilise blood sugar levels. (3)
According to a study by The Happy Egg Company, our bodies release happy hormones when eating yellow food. Over 30% of people associate yellow with happiness over any other colour.
The most happy-inducing food are omelettes, macaroni and cheese, banana and pancakes!
Psychologists suggest that this could be due to association of yellow colour to the warmth of sunshine and brightly coloured toys that we are exposed to since young. Yellow also resonates with our left (logic) side of the brain which makes us perceive it as fun and happy. (2)
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