Dopamine Detox: How Does It Work?

Prince

Prince

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Many people have seemed to embrace the concept of “dopamine detox.” Personally, I never heard of it before until one of my clients came to me inquiring about it. So, like most things I don’t understand or know about, I went down the rabbit hole.

Little did I know, it’s simply a term for what many of us may already be doing these days.

A dopamine detox is when you abstain from pleasurable activities like social media, sugar, or shopping. Proponents claim these breaks reset reward sensitivity and lead to better habits. These self-imposed “fasts” can range from a few hours to several days.

However, it’s important to recognize that, despite its popularity, the term “dopamine detox” lacks any sort of scientific backing.

The benefits people claim are mostly anecdotal and mainly arise from taking breaks from potentially addictive behaviors rather than from truly “detoxing” from dopamine itself.
 
Tech has definitely changed the way the brain works. Put a 16 year old in a room for 8 hours with no TV, cellphone, computers nothing but books, a pen and paper, maybe some art supplies, and see what they give you at the end of the day

My kids would loose there minds. When I was a kid that was called school lol, and I'm only 40. I feel like you got to be a hundred to say what I'm saying lol, but holy moly time has changed
 
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You couldn't wait for school to end so you could play sports or go outside, then you couldn't wait to go home to watch your show, or play your game or talk on the phone.

Today your school life, after school and home life are all done with your computer or cell phone and you're just doing the same thing all day every day and there's no reward, there's nothing to look forward to it's all just blah.

You can walk on the treadmill while texting your friend watching the TV and checking your emails all at the same time.
 
Add generative AI to the mix and the outlook for future generations in relation to "human" intelligence, resilience and creativity is low to zilch!
 
I can remember walking outside and NO ONE knowing where I was until I got back. Things have changed so much just in the last 30yrs and I'm 45
 
I had never heard of this term before but have mentioned in my log a number of times the past few years that I felt I was getting a dopamine reset from fasting fwiw. not a bad experience IMO
 
We can’t do anything without being under the microscope…..Ezpass, Life 360, find my Iphone, cameras everywhere…49 years old here. You could easily go off the grid 20 years ago, veer off the path from work or Union meeting grab a beer solo or clear your head at a park etc. Now your wife kids or friends all know your every move
 
Smont said:
Tech has definitely changed the way the brain works. Put a 16 year old in a room for 8 hours with no TV, cellphone, computers nothing but books, a pen and paper, maybe some art supplies, and see what they give you at the end of the day

My kids would loose there minds. When I was a kid that was called school lol, and I'm only 40. I feel like you got to be a hundred to say what I'm saying lol, but holy moly time has changed
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The is zero question that it has rewired their brains and it's never been more evident than this new gen alpha around 10-14. The crazy thing is that you don't have to be in your 40-50s to notice this, my friend's kids in their 20s are saying the same thing. Goes to show how fast things degrade because I remember like it was yesterday that I was saying the same thing about the now mid 20 somethings and the phones, but it's gotten worse. AI is only feeding in to this. I work in software and will hire new grads and I can see through AI written documents, resumes, etc in a split second. There is no thought going on.
 
Pre 9/11, before the electronic prison grid was setup around us, was a completely different world... sigh.

Yes, kids are in front of a screen all day now and like smont said, there is no reward anymore. It is all the same. Constant Dopamine hits.
 
Jeremy1 said:
Yes, kids are in front of a screen all day now and like smont said, there is no reward anymore. It is all the same. Constant Dopamine hits.
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the reverse is also true though, when they can't get the screen dopamine, they are going old school. Maybe not all of them, I don't really know about the deep urban city dwellers, but I definitely see a lot of gen z exploring the outdoors as though its something new, lol. which is good, but funny in a way.
 
Watch someone <18 on a phone, they can't stop scrolling for more than 5 seconds. Constant dopamine hits. Pull a phone away and watch how fidgety they get, and my daughters are the same way. We don't let them sit aimlessly locked in on a device they spend most of their free time playing sports or training, but even in the short times they are on them they are no different. When we sent them to camp and they have no access for 1-2 weeks they come back so much calmer and engaged.

Hell, now that I think about it, my wife is like this too. LOL
 
I make my boy do a lot of chores, like hauling firewood, chopping wood etc, then we lift together. those things probably help quiet a bit?
 
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