Hormones can influence the production of certain chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. When chemical levels change, they can cause the mood to change. That doesn't mean that hormones have unlimited power over us, but they often drive our behaviour and make us slaves to their effects, for example during puberty. However, the endocrine system regulates our bodily processes, it does not control us.

Fluctuation of mood

The hormones need to find a set of target cells to bring about a specific change. Receptors - the special proteins inside or on the cell's surface - help hormones find their targets. The receptors recognise specific hormones as they move past and bind to them. Once this happens, the hormone-receptor combination triggers effects that can increase or decrease specific processes inside the cell.

Hormones and receptors

You have hormone-producing glands in your body,<ul><li>three in your brain, </li><li>seven in the rest of your body. </li></ul>Each is surrounded by a network of blood vessels from which they extract ingredients to make hormones. These are pumped out in tiny amounts into the bloodstream.

Glands and hormones

Disease, stress, and diet can disrupt the regulatory function, changing the way the cells respond, such as in diabetes. <ul><li>Diabetes is a common hormonal disorder where the pancreas secretes too little insulin - the hormone that manages blood sugar levels. </li><li>Hypo- and hyperthyroidism occur when the thyroid gland makes too little or too much thyroid hormone. Too little thyroid hormone cause a slowed heart rate, fatigue, and depression. Too much thyroid hormone causes weight loss, sleeplessness, and irritability. </li></ul>

Disrupting the regulatory function.

The two thyroid hormones, namely triiodothyronine and thyroxine, travel to the body's cells and influence how quickly those cells work and use energy. In turn, that regulates everything from breathing to heartbeat, body temperature, and digestion.

The thyroid and the two hormones it produces

Our bodies undergo many extraordinary metamorphoses over the course of our lives. We grow, go into puberty, and many reproduce. Behind the scenes, the endocrine system works to arrange these changes. This system regulates everything from sleep to the rhythm of your heartbeat. The endocrine system needs the interactions of three features to function:<ul><li>Glands</li><li>Hormones</li><li>Trillions of cell receptors.</li></ul>

The endocrine system causes changes in your body

Both men and women have estrogen and testosterone but in different amounts. In men, puberty starts when the testes begin secreting testosterone. That triggers the development of the sexual organs and causes the voice to deepen. In women, estrogen secreted from the ovaries helps the body develop, makes the hips widen and thickens the womb's lining to prepare for menstruation or pregnancy.

Hormones during puberty

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-your-hormones-work-emma-bryce Over our lifetimes, our bodies undergo a series of extraordinary metamorphoses: we grow, experience puberty, and many of us reproduce. Behind the scenes, the endocrine system works constantly to orchestrate these changes. Emma Bryce explains how this system regulates everything from your sleep to the rhythm of your beating heart, exerting its influence over each and every one of your cells. Lesson by Emma Bryce, animation by Daniel Gray. Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Michał Friedrich, Arlene Spiegelman, Doug Henry, Alick Au, denison martins fernandes, Hashem Al, Daniel Nester, Richard A Berkley, Benjamin Chan, Dee Wei, Abdallah Absi, Dominick Biolsi, Denise A Pitts, Pi Guanghui, Doris, Kurt Almendras, Raymond Lee, Nicolas Silva, Tsz Hin Edmund Chan, Melvin Williams, Eric Monarrez, Tirath Singh Pandher, Athena Grace Franco, Terry Minion, Ian McPherson, Mauricio Basso, Kelvin Lam, Jamesbo87 , Tara Frost, Karlee Finch, Chumi Ogbonna, Barthélémy Michalon, Lefty McGoo, Lucas Pincerato, Prefer Anonymous, Mohamed Elsayed, Ankur Deshwal, Pawan Kumar, Amin Shahril, Mihail Radu Pantilimon, Chris Thompson, Derek Drescher, Karisa Caudill, Diana Habashneh, Zhong Ming Zenny Tan, Christina Salvatore, Brady Jones, Todd Gross, Alexis Hevia, Heidi Stolt, Daisy Trujillo, Robert Seik, Coenraad Keuning, Charles A Hershberger, Alan Wilder, and Laura Cameron Keith.

health

Health

videos

Videos

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded

View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-your-hormones-work-emma-bryce

Over our lifetimes, our bodies undergo a series of extraordinary metamorphoses: we grow, experience puberty, and many of us reproduce. Behind the scenes, the endocrine system works constantly to orchestrate these changes. Emma Bryce explains how this system regulates everything from your sleep to the rhythm of your beating heart, exerting its influence over each and every one of your cells. 

Lesson by Emma Bryce, animation by Daniel Gray.

Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Michał Friedrich, Arlene Spiegelman, Doug Henry, Alick Au, denison martins fernandes, Hashem Al, Daniel Nester, Richard A Berkley, Benjamin Chan, Dee Wei, Abdallah Absi, Dominick Biolsi, Denise A Pitts, Pi Guanghui, Doris, Kurt Almendras, Raymond Lee, Nicolas Silva, Tsz Hin Edmund Chan, Melvin Williams, Eric Monarrez, Tirath Singh Pandher, Athena Grace Franco, Terry Minion, Ian McPherson, Mauricio Basso, Kelvin Lam, Jamesbo87 , Tara Frost, Karlee Finch, Chumi Ogbonna, Barthélémy Michalon, Lefty McGoo, Lucas Pincerato, Prefer Anonymous, Mohamed Elsayed, Ankur Deshwal, Pawan Kumar, Amin Shahril, Mihail Radu Pantilimon, Chris Thompson, Derek Drescher, Karisa Caudill, Diana Habashneh, Zhong Ming Zenny Tan, Christina Salvatore, Brady Jones, Todd Gross, Alexis Hevia, Heidi Stolt, Daisy Trujillo, Robert Seik, Coenraad Keuning, Charles A Hershberger, Alan Wilder, and Laura Cameron Keith.

TED-Ed’s mission is to create lessons worth sharing. Feed and expand your curiosity with our award-winning animated shorts - published on YouTube and available with supplemental learning materials on ed.ted.com.

Want to suggest an idea for a TED-Ed animation, nominate an educator or animator? Visit our website at: http://ed.ted.com/get_involved.

Consider backing us on Patreon. By doing so, you directly support our nonprofit mission to create free, high-quality educational content: https://www.patreon.com/teded

For more information on using TED-Ed content for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film, or in an online course), please submit a Media Request using this link: https://media-requests.ted.com/ 
