Brain chemistry refers to the complex interactions of chemical substances in the brain that influence thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and bodily functions. It involves neurotransmitters, hormones, receptors, and other molecules working together to enable communication between neurons (brain cells) and regulate the nervous system.
Brain chemistry is the dynamic balance of molecules that powers your mind and body. Even small shifts—due to lifestyle, stress, or genetics—can profoundly affect how you feel, think, and act. Understanding it helps explain everything from daily mood swings to serious mental health conditions.
We have two really cool vendors at the NYDLA: Sendoso and Tremendous. They are in the brain chemistry business.
When a member of the NYDLA.org | NADLA.org 'tells a friend' about our community, we send them $25 and we send their friend $25. But, it's THE WAY that we do it. The new person gets the gift from their friend. From their colleague. They get the gift from the existing member. Not from us, from them. It builds COMMUNITY.
It triggers massive positive brain chemistry.
When someone joins us, we ask for their birthday. We don't need the year, just the month and day is enough. We send them a little gift on their birthday. My birthday was this month, October 2nd. And our vendor Sendoso sent me a gift (see above). It triggered very positive brain chemistry. Hey Tremendous, where is my gift???
Technology like Sendoso and Tremendous makes it super easy to change someone's brain chemistry for the better. And they are both NYDLA | NADLA vendors, so you can use them - they are a member benefit!
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The 10 most popular NYDLA | NADLA gift cards in 2025
The following are the most popular gift cards of the year for our membership, using a combination of monthly search volume and internal expertise as a proxy for interest.
Visa gift card
Visa gift cards are the top-searched and most popular gift card option, and it’s easy to see why — it offers one of the best gift card programs for retailer acceptance. Recipients can buy just about anything with a Visa gift card, and it’s almost as valuable as cash. Unlike store-specific gift cards, Visa gift cards can be used at any location that accepts Visa. This includes millions of merchants worldwide, both online and in-store. This flexibility ensures that recipients can use their gift card in a way that best suits their needs and preferences. Some other gift cards tend to cater to some demographics over others. But Visa gift cards have near-universal appeal. Everyone from young professionals to retirees love these cards.
Amazon gift card
You can find almost anything you want to buy on Amazon. The retailer’s extensive product range makes it a close second to Visa's universal appeal. Amazon is, of course, the largest online retailer with millions of products across various categories, from electronics and books to clothing and home goods. Recipients can find items that suit their specific tastes and needs. Another bonus: Amazon gift cards are extremely easy to use. The Amazon site and mobile app is decently user-friendly. Recipients can buy little-known products on Amazon from niche sellers through an easily accessible, intuitive user interface.
Target gift card
The third-most popular gift card of the year is for Target. These gift cards don't have as broad a product selection as Amazon or as much flexibility as a Visa prepaid card, but Target is the second-most popular department store in the country. Recipients can use their Target gift cards online or in-store. A Target gift card gives people the chance to do some guilt-free shopping, or to get their necessities without having to worry as much about the price tag. There are Target locations in over 1,300 cities across the US, and the retailer has at least one store in every state. Plus, Target's wide variety of items means there's truly something for everyone.
Starbucks gift card
Fourth on the list: Starbucks. It’s the most valuable restaurant brand worldwide. And while Starbucks prices come in a bit higher than rivaling chains Dunkin’ and Tim Horton’s, people feel less guilty splurging on an $7 latte if they know they’re paying with a gift card. Another reason it’s so popular is because coffee is, for most people, a daily necessity. So if someone receives a Starbucks gift card, they’re highly likely to actually use it.
Starbucks gift cards are equally convenient in digital and physical form. The coffee chain has a popular mobile app and more than 35,000 locations worldwide. There’s one on every corner in major cities, and chances are, many of your recipients pass one on their way to work.
Disney gift card
Perhaps surprisingly, Disney gift cards are fifth on the list. Recipients can use them to buy Disney merchandise online, put them toward theme park tickets or resort stays, or spend them on dining experiences at Disney locations. A word of caution: While these gift cards are extremely popular, they are limited in use and won't work for everyone. Unless you’re specifically targeting families with young children, you may want to skip this one.
It likely makes more sense to offer recipients a Visa prepaid card, because Disney accepts Visa prepaid cards at all theme park and resort locations. And if some recipients don’t have a Disney vacation on the docket this year, they can still get plenty of use out of their gift.
Sephora gift card
While Sephora gift cards aren’t a universal crowd pleaser, they’re by far the most popular cosmetic gift card of the year. Sephora carries over 340 different brands and more than 45,000 products, from Chanel to Glossier.
One reason Sephora gift cards are so popular is because makeup and cosmetics are seen as luxurious vs. utilitarian. In other words, people buy indulgent beauty products for pleasure rather than necessity. Pleasurable purchases are more strongly associated with feelings of excitement. However, hedonic purchases can also make us feel guilty. Fortunately, if someone purchases these types of goods with a gift card, (which feels like free money,) they can splurge without experiencing the buyers' remorse that sometimes comes with impulse purchases.
American Express gift card
The appeal of an American Express gift card is the same as that of a Visa gift card – they can be used just about anywhere to buy just about anything. Like Visa prepaid cards, prepaid American Express cards function like debit cards and are accepted by millions of retailers.
eBay gift card
eBay gift cards are like Amazon gift cards for people who love thrifting. eBay is one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, and shoppers can find anything from electronics and fashion to rare collectibles and vintage furniture. With an eBay gift card, recipients can purchase new, used, or rare items. And because eBay offers so many used goods in great condition, the platform appeals to recipients who want more bang for their buck.
Apple gift card
Apple gift cards are even more useful in 2025 as they were back in the iTunes days. Beyond using these gift cards to buy music, recipients can redeem them for Apple TV+ subscriptions, apps, games, Apple News+ subscriptions, or more iCloud storage space. This type of gift card gives recipients access to an extensive content library that includes movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more. And a lot of people can benefit from them. iPhones are the most popular phone in the US by a wide margin, with a whopping 57.68% marketshare. Chances are good that your recipients have an iPhone, or at least a TV that can stream Apple TV+.
Chick-fil-A gift card
Chick-fil-A is the third-most popular fast food chain in the country, behind only McDonalds and Starbucks. The restaurant's popularity has exploded in the past decade or so. While Chick-fil-A started as a regional chain in the southern U.S., locations have cropped up everywhere from Massachusetts to Iowa. Like Sephora, Chick-fil-A gift cards are appealing to recipients because they allow for guilt-free indulgent purchases. No one feels great about spending $25 on fast food, but it stings a lot less if you know you received the money as a gift.
Visa gift card
Visa gift cards are the top-searched and most popular gift card option, and it’s easy to see why — it offers one of the best gift card programs for retailer acceptance. Recipients can buy just about anything with a Visa gift card, and it’s almost as valuable as cash. Unlike store-specific gift cards, Visa gift cards can be used at any location that accepts Visa. This includes millions of merchants worldwide, both online and in-store. This flexibility ensures that recipients can use their gift card in a way that best suits their needs and preferences. Some other gift cards tend to cater to some demographics over others. But Visa gift cards have near-universal appeal. Everyone from young professionals to retirees love these cards.
Amazon gift card
You can find almost anything you want to buy on Amazon. The retailer’s extensive product range makes it a close second to Visa's universal appeal. Amazon is, of course, the largest online retailer with millions of products across various categories, from electronics and books to clothing and home goods. Recipients can find items that suit their specific tastes and needs. Another bonus: Amazon gift cards are extremely easy to use. The Amazon site and mobile app is decently user-friendly. Recipients can buy little-known products on Amazon from niche sellers through an easily accessible, intuitive user interface.
Target gift card
The third-most popular gift card of the year is for Target. These gift cards don't have as broad a product selection as Amazon or as much flexibility as a Visa prepaid card, but Target is the second-most popular department store in the country. Recipients can use their Target gift cards online or in-store. A Target gift card gives people the chance to do some guilt-free shopping, or to get their necessities without having to worry as much about the price tag. There are Target locations in over 1,300 cities across the US, and the retailer has at least one store in every state. Plus, Target's wide variety of items means there's truly something for everyone.
Starbucks gift card
Fourth on the list: Starbucks. It’s the most valuable restaurant brand worldwide. And while Starbucks prices come in a bit higher than rivaling chains Dunkin’ and Tim Horton’s, people feel less guilty splurging on an $7 latte if they know they’re paying with a gift card. Another reason it’s so popular is because coffee is, for most people, a daily necessity. So if someone receives a Starbucks gift card, they’re highly likely to actually use it.
Starbucks gift cards are equally convenient in digital and physical form. The coffee chain has a popular mobile app and more than 35,000 locations worldwide. There’s one on every corner in major cities, and chances are, many of your recipients pass one on their way to work.
Disney gift card
Perhaps surprisingly, Disney gift cards are fifth on the list. Recipients can use them to buy Disney merchandise online, put them toward theme park tickets or resort stays, or spend them on dining experiences at Disney locations. A word of caution: While these gift cards are extremely popular, they are limited in use and won't work for everyone. Unless you’re specifically targeting families with young children, you may want to skip this one.
It likely makes more sense to offer recipients a Visa prepaid card, because Disney accepts Visa prepaid cards at all theme park and resort locations. And if some recipients don’t have a Disney vacation on the docket this year, they can still get plenty of use out of their gift.
Sephora gift card
While Sephora gift cards aren’t a universal crowd pleaser, they’re by far the most popular cosmetic gift card of the year. Sephora carries over 340 different brands and more than 45,000 products, from Chanel to Glossier.
One reason Sephora gift cards are so popular is because makeup and cosmetics are seen as luxurious vs. utilitarian. In other words, people buy indulgent beauty products for pleasure rather than necessity. Pleasurable purchases are more strongly associated with feelings of excitement. However, hedonic purchases can also make us feel guilty. Fortunately, if someone purchases these types of goods with a gift card, (which feels like free money,) they can splurge without experiencing the buyers' remorse that sometimes comes with impulse purchases.
American Express gift card
The appeal of an American Express gift card is the same as that of a Visa gift card – they can be used just about anywhere to buy just about anything. Like Visa prepaid cards, prepaid American Express cards function like debit cards and are accepted by millions of retailers.
eBay gift card
eBay gift cards are like Amazon gift cards for people who love thrifting. eBay is one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, and shoppers can find anything from electronics and fashion to rare collectibles and vintage furniture. With an eBay gift card, recipients can purchase new, used, or rare items. And because eBay offers so many used goods in great condition, the platform appeals to recipients who want more bang for their buck.
Apple gift card
Apple gift cards are even more useful in 2025 as they were back in the iTunes days. Beyond using these gift cards to buy music, recipients can redeem them for Apple TV+ subscriptions, apps, games, Apple News+ subscriptions, or more iCloud storage space. This type of gift card gives recipients access to an extensive content library that includes movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more. And a lot of people can benefit from them. iPhones are the most popular phone in the US by a wide margin, with a whopping 57.68% marketshare. Chances are good that your recipients have an iPhone, or at least a TV that can stream Apple TV+.
Chick-fil-A gift card
Chick-fil-A is the third-most popular fast food chain in the country, behind only McDonalds and Starbucks. The restaurant's popularity has exploded in the past decade or so. While Chick-fil-A started as a regional chain in the southern U.S., locations have cropped up everywhere from Massachusetts to Iowa. Like Sephora, Chick-fil-A gift cards are appealing to recipients because they allow for guilt-free indulgent purchases. No one feels great about spending $25 on fast food, but it stings a lot less if you know you received the money as a gift.