We’re all familiar with feeling overwhelmed by notifications from emails, text messages , Instagram, and LinkedIn “dings.” A popular narrative that’s been recently circulating endorses a “dopamine detox,” in which you try to resist easy dopamine hits (i.e., resisting the urge to endlessly scroll or be distracted by notifications and buzzes). There seems to be a conflict between the science and popular cultural narrative: some scientists argue against a dopamine detox, while others swear by it. Let's cover what you need to know!
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical within your brain that’s released to enhance or drive you towards certain feelings. In this case, dopamine is associated with feelings of satisfaction, pleasure, and reward; this makes sense in the context of social media and Internet-mediated connectivity. More generally though, dopamine is released when you eat delicious foods, work on a personal project, exercise, window shop at the mall, and pursue anything that feels good. Scrolling on TikTok, placing items in your online shopping carts, and using mind-altering substances also incites a dopamine release because they’re pleasurable. In conversations about dopamine detoxes, there’s a popular phrase called “cheap dopamine,” in which people believe contemporary connectivity has hijacked our natural dopamine systems. Because dopamine isn’t differential, our brains aren’t able to tell the difference between dopamine released from a text message ‘ding!’ versus completing a household chore. This is where “cheap dopamine” becomes relevant: proponents of dopamine detoxes claim that cheap dopamine has upended our collective attention spans, motivation circuits, and inclination to pursue “slow dopamine.”
It’s true that dopamine, collectively, is being released at an all-time-high today: we’re constantly surrounded by phones dinging to life, sugary foods, booze, shopping, but it’s not necessarily detrimental.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely cognizant that you’re prone to distractions--myself included. You know you should be reading your new favorite series or cooking a meal, but you can’t peel yourself away from your screen, even though you know the other task is more fulfilling! So, like me, you’ve probably scrambled to find a solution--a community of like-minded anti-distraction folks. You might’ve even sought out books like Dopamine Detox, Dopamine Nation, or Your Brain on Dopamine, which espouse radical ideas of disconnection, self-discipline, and restriction. However, medical doctors and scientists agree: dopamine detoxes are folk science, and these radical ideas aren’t backed by objective data.
Your brain naturally produces dopamine all the time: it’s involved in the coordination of voluntary movement, the healthy stabilization of your mood, and the creation of new memories. A “detox”--which purports a limit of technological distractions, no sugar intake, and no alcohol/marijuana/nicotine among other restrictions--doesn’t actually change your dopamine levels. In fact, detoxes restrict healthy human connection--which is now funneled through social media, text messages, FaceTimes, and phone calls--and has a relatively adverse effect. Oftentimes, if you restrict the facets of life that bring you pleasure and human connection, you’ll end up “binging” them--essentially undoing the work of the detox. Essentially, “dopamine detox” has, to an extent, become synonymous with self-discipline.
Many traditions already embrace a kind of “detox”: think the Sabbath, religious holidays, vacation time. These offer a healthy medium through which to practice healthy compartmentalization: the self, her connections, and her life are hyper-concentrated in the present moment. Instead of embarking on a restrictive dopamine “fast,” which doesn’t lower the natural levels of dopamine produced by the body anyway, try to start small. If you’re waiting for a friend to return from the bathroom, don’t reach for your phone to mindlessly scroll for a few minutes. Instead, gaze out the window. Daydream. Read the menu at the restaurant. Ask a passerby how they’re doing. In a way, this is a radical manifestation of the dopamine detox: you’re holding yourself accountable to be present, to resist the urge to use technology as a social and mental crutch. Without restricting yourself (so you won’t be cutting yourself off from socializing and/or feel the need to binge), it’s easy to start embarking on a pseudo-detox. It’s critical to start small; don’t inconvenience yourself at first. Try to make it as easy as possible! A fun challenge might be reading ten minutes before you go to bed. You can ramp that up to twenty minutes, thirty, and even an hour--perhaps you’ll cut out screen time before bed altogether. It’s up to you! The goal isn’t to starve yourself of dopamine or cut out all pleasure: just try to be present, however that looks and feels for you.
You don’t need to completely unplug--it feels nearly impossible given our social and work structures--but you can make decisions that lend themselves towards compartmentalizing distractions and the present moment.
