The Christmas Brain: Why the Holidays Actually Change Your Neurochemistry

It's Christmas time!! 🎄❤️ In this festive episode, we explore the neuroscience and psychology behind the Christmas spirit, discussing how our brains react to holiday traditions, the impact of nostalgia, and the financial decisions we make during this time. We delve into psychological regression, the anticipation of Christmas, and the post-holiday slump, while also introducing the Danish concept of hygge as a way to find joy and contentment during the season.Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!Thanks for listening ❤️Resourceshttps://theconversation.com/its-so-hard-to-resist-overspending-at-christmas-heres-how-to-reinforce-your-willpower-270389https://www.mic.ul.ie/mic-insights/the-psychology-of-christmashttps://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/the-psychology-of-christmas-why-do-the-festivities-impact-us-so-deeply-1.4743860https://www.thecounsellingplace.com/blog/the-psychology-behind-christmashttps://www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/the-cube/202212/the-psychology-of-christmas-and-its-contradictionshttps://goodmansoutonte.medium.com/the-psychology-of-christmas-d3a329c3a205https://olivelia.com/the-psychological-impact-of-christmas-how-the-festive-season-affects-our-mood/https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/most-wonderful-time-678295https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/is-christmas-good-or-bad-for-our-mental-health-4375551-Dec2018/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/21/christmas-burnout-why-stressed-parents-harder-emotionally-honest-with-childrenhttps://theconversation.com/the-neuroscience-of-the-christmas-cheer-emotion-127141https://www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/brain-reboot/202012/the-neuroscience-feeling-christmassyhttps://www.menshealth.com/uk/health/a69672159/willpower-christmas-festive-period/https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zn9fpg8https://www.neurotrackerx.com/post/the-neuroscience-of-how-we-experience-christmashttps://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/442735-trending-science-what-is-the-christmas-brainhttps://itsnlp.com/understanding-your-brain-and-have-a-happyer-christmas/https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/articles/your-brain-is-wired-to-love-christmas-food-heres-why-408061https://macaonews.org/news/around-the-world/christmas-day-disappointment/https://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6266https://www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/the-junction/201812/your-brain-christmas