Fit and healthy
People are staying fit and healthy for longer. This is largely due to better nutrition and a change in physical work. This used to be quite physically demanding for many people, but that has changed considerably in the last century.
However, scientists discovered around 2000 that endorphins cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. That means that only the endorphins produced in the brain are used in the brain. In studies where runners were given endorphin blockers, the subjects still got a runner’s high.
Exercise remains necessary, of course, but we get a lot of our exercise because we do it in a recreational atmosphere, we like to exercise. One of the reasons exercise is so good for us is that it releases endorphins and endocannabinoids. When running, for example, the endocannabinoids also cause the so-called runners high. That feeling that everything seems to go by itself and reduces pain, ultimate bliss. Read more about this in the blog “ The runner’s high and endocannabinoids ”.
But the endocannabinoids don’t just work for running and have a much broader effect than just the runner’s high. The endocannabinoids (and endorphins) are released with every form of exercise and work throughout your body.