Banana’s contain a natural chemical which can make a person happy. This is the same chemical found in Prozac.
The reason why banana ranks as a top happy food is due to the great amount of tryptophan and tyrosine it contains. Both tryptophan and tyrosine are essential amino acids, i.e. we need acquire them from food intake because our body cannot produce it internally. They’re both precursors to “happy” neurotransmitters – serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin and dopamine levels correlates with a person’s feeling of happiness and well being. Therefore, serotonin is the chemical that is targeted by the new wave of antidepressant drugs, such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, etc. The goal of these antidepressant drugs is to raise the levels of serotonin in the brain, and improve a person’s mood.
This is not true. Prozac and other SSRIs do not contain precursor chemicals for serotonin. When serotonin crosses a synapse and interacts with the receptor, the nerve puts out a chemical which limits how long serotonin keeps acting. This chemical is called a reuptake inhibitor. What SSRIs do is interfere with the action of the inhibitor and allow serotonin more time to do its thing. The SSRI doesn’t have any effect on the production of serotonin.