Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that gives one a sense of overall well-being, among other things. It tends to be much lower in people who are anxious, depressed, and suffer from obsessions and OCD. If you are single and have problems with temptations of the flesh, it might be helpful to try and raise the serotonin levels in your brain, which may lower your libido and also give you more control over your thoughts, making it much easier to avoid temptations in the first place. It may also help with things like anger and irritability, if your thoughts tend to linger on annoyances, grudges, etc.

Here are some articles I thought were helpful:

http://www.understand-andcure-anxietyattacks-panicattacks-depression.com/5-htp.html <-- basic breakdown of 5-htp, or L-tryptophan (amino-acid), and what is needed to make it into Serotonin

http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/fish-oil-to-treat-depression <--fish oil and serotonin

http://www.livestrong.com/article/154361-effects-of-serotonin-on-the-body/ <-- basic overview of serotonin and its effects on the body

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12825688 <-- This is about Serotonin and how it effects mice when it comes to "sɛҳuąƖ preference" slightly graphic, but is food for thought when it comes to ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity.

http://www.the-ibenefits.com/function-of-serotonin.html <-- general article about serotonin

http://www.raysahelian.com/tryptophan.html <-- L-Tryptophan

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8697046 <--- Carbohydrates boost Serotonin, making it easy to overeat and gain weight.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/top-ten-foods-boost-your-mood-when-you%E2%80%99re-feeling-blue <-- foods you could eat to boost serotonin

The overall goal here is to develop a self-mastery over your thoughts. If you can do this on a natural level, it will immensely help you on a spiritual level.

True, trapped in a cubicle, I have no windows, little sun exposure.....I take Vitamin D, esp as I am prone to being deficient, dangerously so back about 2 yrs ago......

Sun exposure, V-D helps mood a lot, mine and those I have noticed with mental health issues......they sit in dark rooms, not good nor helpful....

Costco sells good seratonin supplements at an affordable price.

And, I do not use sun blocks or put them on my kids.  Sunshine is one of God's beautiful gifts.

Probably because they eat more fish, which also helps with positive mood and serotonin.

Scandinavians have a reputation for being emotionally cold and distant -- not for being sober. Finland is infamous for its drunkenness. Porn thrives in some of those countries, especially Denmark --

Wikipedia article on Pornography in Denmark ( can't get formatting to work so I'll just section it off ):
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"The ban on pornography in Denmark was lifted in 1967. In 1969, Denmark became the first country in the world to legalize pornography.

People in Denmark have free access to pornography; it is sold in most convenience stores, and is available for purchase or rental in practically every video store, including Blockbuster. There are a few regulations: for example, pornography must be placed out of the eyesight of children, and it may not be sold to persons under the age of 15. The TV channel Kanal København broadcasts hardcore pornography free and uncoded at night...

Since 1980, child pornography has been illegal in Denmark.[3] It is illegal to distribute photographic or video pornography of persons under the age of 18, although the age of consent in Denmark is 15. It is, however, not illegal to possess images or videos of people above 15 if such persons have given consent."
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There is worse stuff in here but in the interest of modesty, I will ignore it, better just to get the point across.

Pay attention: In the last paragraph, it says that child pornography has been illegal in Denmark since 1980. But porn was legalized in 1969. And indeed, child porn was legal there for ten years.

Death metal and black metal, Satanic music, also thrives in these countries, and something tells me, from what I have seen, that these people are not the last word in chastity. So no, cold does not mean "frigid" or asɛҳuąƖ, on the contrary. Essentially there is no country on Earth that is asɛҳuąƖ; everyone has original sin. Where we differ is in our emotional attitudes to it. Like I said earlier, Scandinavians are emotionally frosty, that is the cliché. Italians and Spanish are considered more hot-tempered, like the type to kill women who are cheating on them, while a Finnish guy would just sit in the subway and drink himself to death, etc. Those countries are also known for ѕυιcιdє and depression. Again, I'm just speaking of the general perception, which has some truth to it, but each individual is different.

Bravo Lybus! After being dejected reading (and responding) to what I perceive as horrible information within this particular sub-forum, I read your post. It is thoughtful, useful, and well informed. Thank you for sharing.

Bravo to Raoul! Great post on Denmark, Finland et al. I've been to Sweden among other places and I was shocked at the permissiveness, and overindulgence of sɛҳuąƖity, really yucky music, and adult beverages. I'm not Puritan, but I sure felt like it working and dining with my Swedish colleagues. I don't think that the Danish people appreciate child pornography. I think it was a loophole in the law that was subverted and utilized by the perverts that finally was closed in 1980. I cannot comment on anything else; satanic music, etc. that outside my scope of any intelligent discussion.

I also did appreciate ggreg's thoughts regarding the sociological precepts of 'hot' vs. 'cold' personalities. And I have actually witnessed this. Agreeing with Raoul that this is truly about original sin, putting that to the side for a moment and examining the cultural variances with respect to northern and southern hemispheres in general is actually a cool anthropological study. Also, it would follow that it is ethnic and cultural attitudes and projection of self (for a lack of a proper word at the moment). My personal example is I was born and raised in the south. People there are generally very gregarious, warm, and loving. I live in the north now, and find that people are generally hard to warm up, quiet, and very...stern. I call it the "German"--whether they're of German heritage or not! In fact it is so bad at times, I really get home sick. So when I get to go to Atlanta, I'm ready as I need that southern hospitality as a prescription to myself! Even if it's Hotlanta, I'll take what I can get.

Quote from: PartyIsOver221

Heres another tip I can add, if this serotonin thesis is true regarding mood, etc.

I read somewhere that ionized air particles can affect mood, particularly negative ions as those generated from air purifiers. Not sure if this is just in some medical scenario with high powered negative ionizers though, but worth a look into....

It's true-that's why it is so nice to be on the beach.  I had a negative ion machine from a thrift store once, and it was fabulous.  They are far too expensive for me these days, but they really work.  Those Himalayan salt lamps are supposed to do something similar.?  

Whoa... himalayan salt lamp? Nice. Thanks for sending me in some new directions regarding this.

Thanks Wisconsinsheepgirl! I am happy to know that I could be helpful.