Christmas is full of excitement from seeing relatives to the cozy feeling of being inside and sipping on hot chocolate. Of course there’s some stress that comes with the Christmas holiday with shopping or cooking something everyone would like for Christmas Eve. 

Yet, do we ever acknowledge the effects it has on our brains? From the holiday shopping stress to the festive spirits, the way Christmas affects our brain to how we feel is our hormones. 

The “feel-good” hormones are the most common to feel during this time of year, which are serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. These hormones can be released from shopping, gift giving, the festive feelings that are all around during Christmas time, bonding with family and friends and many more.

 Along with that, it helps to reduce stress and increase the desire to repeat acts of kindness. These hormones help our body by improving sleep, feeling more confident, overall mood and our overall health.

Let’s not forget about the stress that the Christmas season brings, which is caused by the cortisol hormone. Not everyone will feel the stress of Christmas, it may be high and low depending on the person. This hormone tends to have a negative effect on the brain such as decreased memory and multitasking ability.