Dopamine fasting aims to reduce or eliminate instant gratification activities like social media, junk food, and video games to 'reset' our brain's dopamine sensitivity. It’s a controversial concept often labeled as bro science, raising questions about its real benefits. The discussion explores how different activities impact dopamine production, particularly for those with ADHD, and critiques the oversimplification of behavioral strategies while promoting a balanced approach to technology and pleasure.
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insights INSIGHT
Dopamine's Role
Dopamine, a neuromodulator, plays a key role in motivation, pleasure, and learning.
It's involved in almost every activity, even meditation, making dopamine reduction complex.
insights INSIGHT
Dopamine Fasting Hypothesis
Dopamine fasting is based on the idea that constant stimulation desensitizes our reward system.
A dopamine fast aims to reset this system by cutting out high-dopamine activities.
insights INSIGHT
Desensitization and Social Media
Overstimulation can desensitize us, similar to drug use, but dopamine isn't a drug.
Social media uses bite-sized content to keep users engaged by exploiting dopamine levers.
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Hey team! I’ve recently been seeing a lot more stuff around the concept of dopamine fasting.
Now, I’m going to start by saying that I’m entering this conversation with a bit of trepidation because it comes from a side of the internet that… well, they tend to have good intentions, but this basically amounts to bro science despite the backing it does have.
The idea behind dopamine fasting is to reduce or eliminate activities that provide instant gratification and a quick release of dopamine. So, someone going through a dopamine fast might give up using their phone, watching TV, video games, junk food, and alcohol, plus anything else they see as their go-to dopamine activities for, say a 24-hour period. I know, sounds like torture.
The idea here is that because we’ve glutted our brains on all these easy dopamine activities, we want to try to “reset” the process to regain a more sensitive system that isn’t seeking that quick hit all the time.
In today’s episode, we’ll break down this concept and examine whether it works (hint: I already called it bro science) and what, if anything, we can still gain from the ideas. Support me on Patreon Ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the show note at HackingYourADHD.com/190This Episode's Top Tips
When dopamine fasting, you are trying to reduce or eliminate activities like watching TV, playing video games, eating junk food, and drinking alcohol that would give you a quick release of dopamine. While there may be some benefits in abstaining from these activities, the idea of doing a dopamine fast to reset your system doesn’t hold much water.
Instead of trying to use a dopamine fast to create a quick fix, it’s better to examine your habits and daily activities that lead to feeling like you need one and see how you can modulate those.
With ADHD, we often are understimulated, and by doing something slightly stimulating, like playing with a fidget toy, can help improve our focus and concentration.
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