Michael Buble's Singing Warms My Heart Like Mac N Cheese

I was in Chapel at Loma Linda one Wednesday morning and during one of the first worship songs, I looked around me to see how the experience of singing made some people feel.  There was a general sense of calmness and in a group of students who are mainly in the competitive health field, it was a great sight.  As I saw this happening, I remembered a song I listened to on the way to school that morning that my friend wrote.  Listening to his song gives me the same feeling each and every time.  Happy.  I can imagine the story line in my head while listening to it, the same story each and every time.  It's the same feeling that I get when I bake something, when I enjoy my meals, and when I share the meals.  My curiosity is...do music and comfort foods illicit the same brain stimulation?

 The key word here I COMFORT.  I can certain attest that bitter foods make children cringe, foods highly salted can be offensive and overly doused sugary foods can make you fear for a cavity.  As I digest my mac n' cheese, the ultimate American comfort food, I feel a sense of relaxation on a Saturday night.  Now, many of you can say, well, it is a Saturday and she might have had a great day.  I did.  But I also just fought thru 1.5 hours of Los Angeles traffic in the rain.  There is also a general sense of stress a doctoral student, however immune I may be.

Through general research, this is what food does to your brain....

1. Complex Carbohydrates (whole grain breads, brown rice, some fruits) can raise the level of serotonin in the brain and give a calm and relaxed feeling.  
2. Fats (avocado, almonds and nuts, salmon, lobster) increases endorphine levels.  This is what we refer to as "healthy" fats.  All fats are necessary but we are talking more of the fats that come naturally from foods rather than from your fried foods.  
3. Protein (meats, tofu, Greek yogurt, nuts) can stimulate the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. 

Does this make sense?  From my Mac N Cheese, I had my carbs (noodles), my fats (milk) and my protein (cheese and milk) and I get a sense of relaxed and calming feeling.  But what do these hormones and neurotransmitters really do?  They are released with or without the help of foods so let's break them down:

1. Norepinephrine/Noradrenaline - It is released from the amygdala where attention and response are controlled.  It is also a stress hormone which illicit flight-or-fight response that increases oxygen to the brain, heart rate and releases glucose from the storage tanks.
2. Epinephrine/Adrenaline - It is also released from the amygdala where flight-or-fight response is also fired.  It increases heart rate and increases oxygen intake thru dilation of the airways.   
3. Serotonin - It is found in the gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to your colon as well as platelets and central nervous system.  It contributes to the overall sense of happiness and well-being.  Fun fact! Serotonin is needed for male mating behaviors where they may leave their food to find a mate.  
4. Dopamine - It covers a larger role in the brain but it plays a big role in reward-seeking individuals.  It has been proven those who are more extroverted have higher levels of dopamine.  It is also released when partaking in many highly addictive drugs such as meth and cocaine.  Can you think of any foods you are "addicted" too.  Any connections?

So we now know that food affects your mood and it's no surprise that the foods the people love are connected to a release of neurotransmitters and hormones which affect our mood.  It's also no surprise that a warm baked cookie makes us ooey-gooey on the inside as well.  But are the same neurotransmitter and hormones released when we listen to our favorite tunes?

Michael Buble

When listening to music, the amygdala is also stimulated to release adrenaline.  In fact, memories of the initiating experience are strengthened.  This explains the repeated story line while listening to a love song or my connections with Memoirs of a Geisha every time I hear Norah Jones.  The same neurotransmitter can also illicit a warm feeling when eating mac n cheese.  There is a signal from the body to the brain to instruct how much adrenaline is released into the brain which in turn changes our bodily functions such as increase oxygen to the brain, increase air flow to the body and increase heart rate.  So if you are a huge Michael Buble fan, maybe listening to his music will increase your heart rate.  Similarly when I listen to the song my friend wrote, I can run a little faster but I am also happier.  Double whamy!

This is definitely not a simple subject to blog about because the brain and the signals to and from are so complicated.  Simply said, music and food improves our mood.  Can either illicit the same feelings? Seems like it.  Can music replace food?  Probably not.  I would not suggest it either.  Food is too good to give up!  Moreover, there are individuals are immune to some of these feelings because their daily activities stimulate the release of the neurotransmitters such that they are immune and would need a higher dose to cause the same reaction as someone who many not be as stimulated.  Didn't I say this was complicated?  It is definitely worth looking into!

So as we progress through this Valentines weekend, think about the foods are consuming.  Think about the food feelings that people get when eating chocolate, warm souffle cakes and hearty pastas cooked to perfection.  What feelings are we embracing besides love? 

MY 3 Favorite Songs of the Moment.  Enjoy!  Tell me what you all think of #3. :)
1.  Just a Kiss
2. I Won't Give Up
3. At Last