What is Dopamine Detox? Benefits of Dopamine Detox

The first impression we get on hearing the word “dopamine” is the happy hormone, feeling euphoric and relieved from stress. But, what’s dopamine detox? Well, practicing dopamine fasting is known as dopamine detox, which means performing fasting from dopamine producing activities or pleasurable activities with the hope of minimizing reward sensitivity for a certain amount of time which can last up to few hours to several days. However, scientific evidences are yet to come to support this method and technique. 

What is dopamine detox?

Individuals who attempt a dopamine detox or dopamine fasting, their prime goal is to detach themselves from everyday stimuli that gives them quick dopamine dosages such as social media, sugary foods, or shopping. These stimuli are replaced in favor of minimal impulsive habits and lifestyle options. The whole concept of dopamine detox is scientifically not proven yet, but experts have to say that this technique reduces the brain to a very simplistic level. The general idea behind this “detox” concept is for the people to let themselves realize and feel solitude and being bored, by trying simpler activities instead reaching for quick boosts of dopamine.

Dopamine detox targets few compulsive behaviors such as excessive internet usage, addiction to gaming, emotional binge eating, shopping and gambling, addicted to porn and masturbation, using recreational drugs, and novelty and thrill seeking. By dopamine fasting from these activities, the brain gets triggered by the neurotransmitters, and people become less dependent on the emotional boosts that dopamine offers, which ultimately leads to addiction and dependency.

Benefits of Dopamine Detox

Dopamine fasts or dopamine detox are not just a fad but actually it has the potential to cancel out the effects of all the time we spend on our digital medium or any addictive dopamine boosting activities. Too much of screentime or excessive exposure to music impacts our physical and mental well-being. We don’t understand the meaning and depth of mindfulness, silence, practicing meditation and even focus. Considering how blue screens and devices are the most popular dopamine driving stimulators, a dopamine detox could be a method to actually get a break from over indulging in virtual world. Going on periodic dopamine detox plan could reset and steer your attention to a more satisfying and progenitive activity.

Let’s have a look on how dopamine detox benefits us:

1. Reduces stress

Being highly exposed to social media, screen time, digital entertainment, porn, music, junk foods and even alcohol and drugs can lead to severe cluttered mind which give rises to confusion, irritation, exhaustion and increased stress. Giving yourself a break and going on a dopamine fasting can help to settle down your confused and hyperactive brain to reduce stress and anxiety levels remarkably.

2. Boosts mindfulness and focus

Spending too much time and energy in all such dopamine driving triggers can make you lose your track to focus and concentrate on the real world which includes your work, tasks, daily activities and even reading a simple book. Getting distracted from all such triggers that gives you urge to take more and more dopamine to stay active, lowers your focus and also you cannot practice mindfulness while working on your tasks, reading documents and books, and while being in a meaningful conversation.

3. Calms down your mind

Take a test for 7 days, no junk foods, no alcohol or any addictive substance, no social media, no music, or digital entertainment or watching porn, and simply do the usual daily activities that includes basic routine and your work and see how you get affected. You spend more time in realizing real things in the world, you enjoy your work without distractions, you enjoy nature and even try new hobbies and experiments that helps you relax and calm down your mind which is an amazing benefit of dopamine detox.

4. Helps you overcome your addiction

It is scientifically proven that dopamine has direct influence on the actions we take and the decisions we make in our lives, which means we live in a world designed to trigger our emotions to make maximum profit out of it but it results in addiction for us. The social media, the virtual gaming world keep giving us constant dopamine hits with back-to-back interesting feeds and levels to make us stick to it for their profits which makes us addictive at the end. The same works for substance and porn addiction. Hence, dopamine detox mechanism helps us to fight that addiction and eliminate those constant urge of getting dopamine hits in order to live a normal non-addictive life.

5. Lowers excessive indulgence in social media

Excessive social media indulgence can lead to stress, depression and increased anxiety as people get highly influenced by other people’s life events and success stories shared on social media platforms. People feel envy and resentment in their lives by watching other people being happy. Hence, dopamine fasting helps you lower your over-dependency on social media which helps to lower stress and anxiety.

6. Helps you to stay organized

You switch off all the triggers and stop getting your brain constant dopamine hits which give you enough time to relax, figure out things, live the real world, and work on the things that matters the most. You focus better on your work, you feel the nature and work on your interests, your strengths which helps you to get organized and declutter your mind as well as your space which is yet another benefit of dopamine detox.

7. Drives your interest into real world

Being caged in the digital entertainment world, social media, and other means of dopamine driving triggers detaches you from the real world. You don’t get the importance of spending time with nature and real world and real people. Practicing dopamine detox helps you steer your interest towards real world and explore the world which includes travelling, trying nee communication skills and understanding different culture and traditions.

8. Helps you follow your passion

A person’s 50% of days’ time is consumed by social media and digital entertainment including music which consumes much of your time in your entire life. Practicing dopamine detox not only detoxifies your brain but also saves much of your time to help you follow your passion and focus on your work for improved productivity.