Definition Day: Anandamide
One term worth slowing down on today — picked from what readers are actually searching for.
Anandamide: the body's own natural cannabinoid, discovered in 1992 and named from the Sanskrit "ananda" (bliss). It binds the same receptors as THC and is sometimes called the "bliss molecule" — unrelated to classic psychedelics, but part of the same broader neurochemistry-of-wellbeing territory.
Example: A 2003 study (Sparling et al., published in NeuroReport) found anandamide levels rise in the blood after 50 minutes of moderate-intensity running or biking — real evidence for what's now considered the leading explanation of "runner's high." Unlike endorphins, anandamide is small and fat-soluble enough to cross the blood-brain barrier, which is part of why researchers now think it's a bigger piece of that effect than endorphins ever were.
Full entry, plus 155 other terms, is in our Encyclopedia.