Dopamine Detox: How To Reset Your Brain’s Reward System

Since its inception, the internet has played a key role in the proliferation of fad diets and trends. The rise of social media over the past decade has only added to the fast-paced dissemination of these topics. One of the more popular crazes to go viral have been detoxes of various sorts. The latest of those to gain widespread adoption is what’s known as a dopamine detox. In this article, we’ll dive into what a dopamine detox is and how you can effectively use this process to reset your brain’s reward system.

What is dopamine?

To understand what a dopamine detox is, we first need to understand what dopamine is and how it plays a role in our health. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger of sorts, which fires signals between neurons in the body. 

Dopamine plays a vital role in various bodily functions. Some of these include movement, memory, and mood regulation. However, dopamine is probably most well-known for its role in reward and motivation.

Frequently dubbed as a “feel-good hormone”, dopamine is a crucial component in the brain’s reward system. When you engage in an activity that your brain perceives as pleasurable, your brain produces and releases dopamine. 

Some activities that boost dopamine include:

– indulging in a delicious meal

– physical touch or intimacy

– shopping

– winning a game

– hitting a goal

– listening to music

– engaging in a stimulating conversation

And that’s just to name a few! 

Scientists still don’t yet fully understand the full scope dopamine plays in our bodies. What we do know though, is that it’s responsible for leaving you feeling good, happy, and satisfied when you experience something pleasurable.

What is a dopamine detox?

A “dopamine detox” is a fixed period of time where one abstains from or limits engaging in activities that trigger a dopamine release. This is done with the intention of resetting the brain’s reward system and thereby making these activities more enjoyable when done in moderation. 

While this is a virtuous cause, dopamine detoxing isn’t exactly proven to be safe or effective. In fact, the term dopamine detox is a bit of a misnomer. As dopamine is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the body, it’s impossible to detox from it entirely. 

And even if you could eliminate it completely, you wouldn’t want to. Having low dopamine levels can be dangerous and can cause a wide variety of unpleasant symptoms. Some physical and mental illnesses associated with low dopamine levels include depression, anxiety, ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. 

While the act of refraining from dopamine-triggering activities for a period of time in order to reset the brain may sound like a good and noble idea, it’s not actually effective or supported by science.

So, for those who want to practice limiting unhealthy, potentially habit-forming activities here’s what to do instead.

“Detoxing” the healthy way

Reducing activities that provide instant gratification can allow you to improve mental clarity and focus while boosting mood and happiness. You can then in turn, choose to focus on activities that are more conducive to your overall well-being and provide long-term satisfaction instead. Here’s the steps you should take in order to make your dopamine detox a healthy one.

Identify activities to eliminate.

Identify any over-stimulating activities that you want to eliminate. Some common activities people choose to abstain from include social media usage, video games, binge-watching TV, junk food, or online shopping.

Determine the duration of your detox.

Determine the duration of your detox. You could choose to detox from certain activities for an extended period of time. Just make sure you keep your timeframe realistic and don’t overdo it. One to two weeks to start out should suffice to reach your goals. You can also opt to detox for a shorter period, such as for a weekend or even 24 hours. 

Eliminate triggers and set boundaries.

Eliminate relevant triggers. If you don’t remove the things you’re trying to avoid, it’s going to make resisting them a whole lot harder. Try to distance yourself as much as possible from these triggers for the duration of your detox. 

While it’s harder to remove yourself from certain activities that involve your phone or TV (afterall, you can’t just get rid of these things – unless you want to, of course) you can set boundaries on these devices. Use time-limiting apps that control how long you can access certain features. 

Brainstorm alternative activities to try.

Brainstorm some healthy alternative activities to do. During your detox, you’ll most likely feel tempted to engage in the activities you’re abstaining from. When temptation hits, it’s a good strategy to engage in a healthy, low-dopamine releasing activity instead. Such activities may include:

– reading

– going for a walk

– journaling (here’s some creative journaling prompts to get you started!)

– meditation

– painting

– puzzles

– creative writing

We’re so used to being constantly busy and distracting ourselves during every waking hour with our phones and TVs. Allow yourself to be bored and see where your creativity takes you! Check out this list of fun hobbies to try that don’t involve mindless scrolling or binge-watching TV.

Conclusion

In conclusion, dopamine detoxes aren’t necessarily effective or backed by science. They’re essentially a way to do cognitive behavioral therapy (CGT) as a means to reduce unhealthy, potentially habit-forming activities and replace those with more mindful, healthier ones. 

Performing a “dopamine detox” every so often allows you to evaluate how the activities you’re engaging in make you feel. It’s also a great way to replace negative habits with healthier ones. 

When done effectively, a dopamine detox can build discipline, motivation, and long-term satisfaction, allowing you to enjoy long-term goals rather than constantly seeking instant gratification.

 

Photo Credit: Tara Winstead on Pexels