Running head: Hormones and Behaviors

Hormones and Behaviors

Stephanie Collard
BEH/225
8/21/2014
Christina Lakeman

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Hormones and Behaviors

The Endocrine system. The bodys way of communicating feelings and emotions. Both the
nervous system and the endocrine system work in tandem to help your lungs to breathe, heart to
beat, and brain to make decisions. The endocrine system functions using chemical responses called
hormones to affect the physiological activity within your body. Two of these glands which
influence our behaviors on a daily basis are known as the Adrenal gland, which is the gland which
secretes when the body is under stress, causing what is known as a fight or flight response. This
is caused by the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine and is generally exhibited by anxiety, or
fear. This response can be triggered by many things, amusement park rides, phobias such as
snakes or spiders, or being approached by a stranger. The adrenal gland is also responsible for
regulation of salt and fluids in the body. The pineal gland, once considered useless by scientists,
releases the hormone melatonin. Secretion of melatonin is triggered by variations in light, and
increased levels of melatonin signal to your body that it is time to sleep. People who are night
owls or work graveyard shifts may experience extreme grogginess when they sleep late in the
day as their melatonin levels will not be properly balanced. One way that this affect can be
avoided is by taking a small melatonin supplement when getting ready for bed during the day. The
endocrine system is comprised of eight glands within your body that work to produce these
hormones and send them into the blood stream each with a different type of function which
control all of your emotions and behaviors.

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References

9781285519517, Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior with Concept Maps and Reviews, Thirteenth Edition, Coon/Mitterer - Cengage Learning