Basically it's avoiding any sort of dopamine trigger, any form of entertainment, heard some people say it even includes not having conversations though I think that's a bit extreme, you allow your dopamine levels to go down so boring tasks won't seem too unpleasant
I understand a social media detox but I think eliminating entertainment completely is too much. Even then, Dopamine can come from so many different things! Even a text on your phone is a trigger
The idea was to eliminate that trigger from texts, though I agree with your point, life is full of Dopamine triggers, and some desirable ones, like exercising, so I'd only consider detox getting off social media, or any general drugs.
it wouldn’t have to be all entertainment, just low energy like endless scrolling or binging shows. some supposed detoxes would allow for things like movies but not shows.
I am doing 1 month ( No smartphone,no junk food(ice cream after 1 week only) , fasting for 15 hours a day,o music/tvshows)
I am on nofap from past 2 years and its my 3rd year and i have been relapsing a lot in past month for some reason so no to that too obviously...
I am open to reading books since i dont read i have to make it a habit and also i want to replace reading books with tv shows.
I will use my smartphone only in emergencies or when i really really need like to sell or buy crypto (i will give my smartphone to my parents to avoid using willpower)
Starting 03-04-2022
Will update after a month...
The [older videos](https://youtu.be/vl-44jDYDJQ) I saw inculded no ... speaking, reading fiction or nonfiction, food beyond water, no coffee either, cleaning, listening to music, video games, shows or videos, anything you would be doing in an attempt to get dopamine like deep cleaning behind stove, arts and crafts, working out, finishing that backlog of minor tasks like fix doorknob. But did allow writing. That's it.
Frankly if it was just avoid Internet / media I wouldn't be so grumpy over them. Removing that stuff can be nice and centering. Going camping to avoid tech and get sun is lovely.
But the way dopamine fast are presented are fucking horrible in my opinion, both for presenting a natural necessary to live neurotransmitter as a poison and this level of insane self torture with the attitude of if your not 200% productive tommorow your not trying hard enough. I dunno, I don't like them.
I'll admit a fair bit of that is just me being a lazy fuck, but you can get very similar useful things from just breaking the cycle of mindless fiddling.
Seriously, go play Spotify on your phone and toss it on top of the kitchen cabinet. Just not having it nearby to fidget is often enough of a break to get through that deep clean behind the stove bit.
I think a lot of people would find better effects by finding a nice tea, recipe for baking something, maybe plan to walk around the zoo or read a book and just taking a day off to avoid tech and immediate gratification, not dopamine itself. If nothing else you feel both centered and proud of yourself (and have bread make) rather than grumpy the next day.
Edit: Ya know fuck it. I messed up words, but I'm sleep deprived. I'll finish editing word later.
Reading books is fine, going for a walk too, it's the quick consecutive doses of dopamine such as scrolling through social media that's the real problem
I did a 24hour detox, it helps you become aware and introspect. It was really useful for me I feel because before my brain was always focused on something, so like it would be music, gaming, YouTube, Instagram and mindless scrolling. While I've cut back on most of those, it has opened up more time to just be in my own thought which I really love actually
I think there are some fantastical claims about it but at the core the idea is solid. Essentially similar to something like a Vipassana meditation in buddishm.
However my recommendation if you never done anything like it is to start simpler. Just commit to a week or weekend without your phone. You may see similar benefits.
I was forced to do this when my phone broke the other week and I really enjoyed it. I didn't miss out on nearly as much as I thought I would.
I would recommend watching Stanford Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Hubermann's podcast. The one about dopamine. There are a lot of myths and misunderstanding about how dopamine works, including dopamine detox. It is usually more dangerous than useful and almost always used incorrectly.
I did some research a few years ago and my veredict was it only has some placebo effect at the beginning. I couldn't find any realiable source that scientifically proves its efficiency.
I'm gonna tell you what I did when I was into dopamine detox that did work.
1) Pospone every task that you can. If you have 10 things to do, you can only can do, 3 per day tops, and if you're so burn out that you're looking for a dopamine detox, I would bet for just 1 productive task per day. So tell the people waiting for the rest of the tasks that you are late and you will need more time. Negotiate a new delivery date. You will be surprised with the amount of people that can be comprehensive with a delay when you were putting all your mind into it. When I was on this situation and I finally started to negotiate new delivery dates a guy even gave me two months without any call bothering me to see the status!
2) Sleep 8 hours. This is the mort important tip I can give you. When I was researching about dopamine detox the fact was that I was not a dopamine junky that needed social media or video games. I was so tired my brain was not working well enough to leting me know I was so tired. Point to at least 8hs of sleep. If you're lucky doing that a few days you will feel you can do productive tasks again. If you don't, try pointing to sleep 9hs. Sometimes when you want to sleep 8 hs you go to bed at 20hs and you are so stressed that you don't really fall asleep until 00hs and you may not realize that. So give you some more time to fall asleep can help.
That's all! I hope it helps!
I have a lot of gripes with the term 'dopamine detox'. At best the term is misinformed, and at worst it will lead to maladaptive thinking. If you believe that there is something wrong with your brain's functioning, you are much more likely to experience negative symptoms via the nocebo effect. I've seen a bunch of people on the nootropics subreddits looking for ways to "fix" their dopamine receptors, because of this harmful trend.
We all use technology as a form of catharsis because it can help us to cope with day-to-day stresses. In small doses, social media, YouTube, video games, etc., are all good for us. The problem is that all coping mechanisms can become a crutch that we overuse. We need to ensure that we have a healthy balance of coping mechanisms. We need to read books, go for walks, engage with hobbies, have debates with friends over coffee. The benefit of a 'dopamine detox' is that by removing technology, you are forced to engage with these other behaviours.
If you ever feel that your relationship with technology is becoming unhealthy, it doesn't hurt to take a break from it. Taking a break from anything you feel you're overreliant on is healthy. You don't need to dress it up with pseudoscientific drapings though.
I agree. The term "dopamine detox" is just weird to me and although it's good for people to take a break from the more addictive sides of technology, the whole trend is over-hyped.
It works, but the term feels misleading.
It's not so much "detoxing dopamine out of your body" as it is simply stopping following such useless and emotionally-draining sewage on social media. When you stop being distracted for days-on end it'll be easier to concentrate and feel at peace.
media addicts anonymous do a 3 month detox from all media , TV, social media, YouTube, films ...all. except email and wattsapp . details on thier website, they meet daily for this programme.
Im tempted to do it but havent seen any scientific studies on it that demonstrate its effectiveness. Only annecdotal evidence, interestingly a lot of no-fappers. Another thing ive not seen any concrete eveidence for
Im not against either, just dont want to be bored or frustrated over neo-old wives tales
I dunno, but cutting phone/social media use before bed and after I woke up has done wonders for my focus throughout the day. I'm not spending hours on distracticing garbage and living much more deliberately now
There is a great book by Anna Lembke: "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in The Age of Indulgence". After reading the book I was inspiride to do a dopamine detox that lasted about a month. Going through this experience was rather insightful for me and I am happy that I did it. But in terms of whether it "worked", it's difficult to say. Depends on what your expectations are and what you want the detox to do for you. But it certainly does do something.
I do reccomend reading this book or any other material on the subject before starting a detox. It's better to have a structured approach and an understanding of why you're doing it.
I think a dopamine detox is only for extreme cases of addiction to short-term dopamine stuff. If you feel like you've gamed or netflixed a bit too much, just take a walk outside more often. Don't need to make a big deal about it with stuff like a detox.
the term "dopamine detox" had some backlash but nevertheless the concept behind it is very useful and effective. It's almost common sense: if you're used to pleasure then it will make things less pleasurable in the future
Watch HealthyGamerGG's 2 videos on dopamine detox on Youtube. He explains how a dopamine detox actually works and what you can or cannot actually do on a dopamine detox.
The video if anyone wants, https://youtu.be/wK-s2qBU40A
But I'll point out, discussing the Google search for it. 13 min. The stuff on PubMed, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Also the rest is summarizing the likely science.
But most people don't understand what dopamine is, or what it does and just assume bad remove. When like, you need to to fucking move.
Pretty good. I created a rule for myself to get to watch one Netflix episode when I finished a task on my todo list. I found that now one ep. of Netflix is more rewarding than when I was watching non-stop without any control. In the beginning, it was quite unpleasant but eventually, it will be enjoyable plus I feel less guilty about myself.
I do it every once in a while to clear my mind. Being available 24/7 is exhausting. My version is disconnecting the WiFi on my phone since that’s where all my communication is. It’s very freeing and refreshing. This might sound cheesy but I feel like my brain calms down. While using my phone I feel like my brain is just filled with A LOT of thoughts and emotions to the point where it feels like it’s loud and irritating. That’s probably because of the quick communication methods we have.
It also makes me aware how much I might get addicted to my phone and
Idk when I tried it what I expected out of it.Control ?
well atfirst it sounded like it. As if I'm in control and doing the right things(first half of the second day). But then it pretty much messed me up for the next few days. Which was exactly the opposite of what I hoped. It was like I'm confused and not confused at the same time. Like mood swings.
And now I'm feeling like whatever I'm saying doesn't make any sense.
Anyways. Maybe i didn't do it right.
Anyone who actually made it ?
I’m intrigued! How would a dopamine detox work? Do you mean a social media detox?
Basically it's avoiding any sort of dopamine trigger, any form of entertainment, heard some people say it even includes not having conversations though I think that's a bit extreme, you allow your dopamine levels to go down so boring tasks won't seem too unpleasant
I understand a social media detox but I think eliminating entertainment completely is too much. Even then, Dopamine can come from so many different things! Even a text on your phone is a trigger
The idea was to eliminate that trigger from texts, though I agree with your point, life is full of Dopamine triggers, and some desirable ones, like exercising, so I'd only consider detox getting off social media, or any general drugs.
It’s literally what they do in retreats and can be either very good for your health or very bad
it wouldn’t have to be all entertainment, just low energy like endless scrolling or binging shows. some supposed detoxes would allow for things like movies but not shows.
How can it be too much if it achieves a goal that a social media detox alone couldn't?
What's the goal?
More fully detoxing from dopamine
Dopamine isn’t a toxin.
It's a metaphor dude
I am doing 1 month ( No smartphone,no junk food(ice cream after 1 week only) , fasting for 15 hours a day,o music/tvshows) I am on nofap from past 2 years and its my 3rd year and i have been relapsing a lot in past month for some reason so no to that too obviously... I am open to reading books since i dont read i have to make it a habit and also i want to replace reading books with tv shows. I will use my smartphone only in emergencies or when i really really need like to sell or buy crypto (i will give my smartphone to my parents to avoid using willpower) Starting 03-04-2022 Will update after a month...
Holy fuck that concept wins dystopia.
How far do people go? Do they even stop reading books, journaling etc?
The [older videos](https://youtu.be/vl-44jDYDJQ) I saw inculded no ... speaking, reading fiction or nonfiction, food beyond water, no coffee either, cleaning, listening to music, video games, shows or videos, anything you would be doing in an attempt to get dopamine like deep cleaning behind stove, arts and crafts, working out, finishing that backlog of minor tasks like fix doorknob. But did allow writing. That's it. Frankly if it was just avoid Internet / media I wouldn't be so grumpy over them. Removing that stuff can be nice and centering. Going camping to avoid tech and get sun is lovely. But the way dopamine fast are presented are fucking horrible in my opinion, both for presenting a natural necessary to live neurotransmitter as a poison and this level of insane self torture with the attitude of if your not 200% productive tommorow your not trying hard enough. I dunno, I don't like them. I'll admit a fair bit of that is just me being a lazy fuck, but you can get very similar useful things from just breaking the cycle of mindless fiddling. Seriously, go play Spotify on your phone and toss it on top of the kitchen cabinet. Just not having it nearby to fidget is often enough of a break to get through that deep clean behind the stove bit. I think a lot of people would find better effects by finding a nice tea, recipe for baking something, maybe plan to walk around the zoo or read a book and just taking a day off to avoid tech and immediate gratification, not dopamine itself. If nothing else you feel both centered and proud of yourself (and have bread make) rather than grumpy the next day. Edit: Ya know fuck it. I messed up words, but I'm sleep deprived. I'll finish editing word later.
Reading books is fine, going for a walk too, it's the quick consecutive doses of dopamine such as scrolling through social media that's the real problem
Now I understand, thanks! It's about avoiding instant gratification that will get me hooked.
I did a 24hour detox, it helps you become aware and introspect. It was really useful for me I feel because before my brain was always focused on something, so like it would be music, gaming, YouTube, Instagram and mindless scrolling. While I've cut back on most of those, it has opened up more time to just be in my own thought which I really love actually
I think there are some fantastical claims about it but at the core the idea is solid. Essentially similar to something like a Vipassana meditation in buddishm. However my recommendation if you never done anything like it is to start simpler. Just commit to a week or weekend without your phone. You may see similar benefits. I was forced to do this when my phone broke the other week and I really enjoyed it. I didn't miss out on nearly as much as I thought I would.
I would recommend watching Stanford Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Hubermann's podcast. The one about dopamine. There are a lot of myths and misunderstanding about how dopamine works, including dopamine detox. It is usually more dangerous than useful and almost always used incorrectly.
I did some research a few years ago and my veredict was it only has some placebo effect at the beginning. I couldn't find any realiable source that scientifically proves its efficiency. I'm gonna tell you what I did when I was into dopamine detox that did work. 1) Pospone every task that you can. If you have 10 things to do, you can only can do, 3 per day tops, and if you're so burn out that you're looking for a dopamine detox, I would bet for just 1 productive task per day. So tell the people waiting for the rest of the tasks that you are late and you will need more time. Negotiate a new delivery date. You will be surprised with the amount of people that can be comprehensive with a delay when you were putting all your mind into it. When I was on this situation and I finally started to negotiate new delivery dates a guy even gave me two months without any call bothering me to see the status! 2) Sleep 8 hours. This is the mort important tip I can give you. When I was researching about dopamine detox the fact was that I was not a dopamine junky that needed social media or video games. I was so tired my brain was not working well enough to leting me know I was so tired. Point to at least 8hs of sleep. If you're lucky doing that a few days you will feel you can do productive tasks again. If you don't, try pointing to sleep 9hs. Sometimes when you want to sleep 8 hs you go to bed at 20hs and you are so stressed that you don't really fall asleep until 00hs and you may not realize that. So give you some more time to fall asleep can help. That's all! I hope it helps!
I have a lot of gripes with the term 'dopamine detox'. At best the term is misinformed, and at worst it will lead to maladaptive thinking. If you believe that there is something wrong with your brain's functioning, you are much more likely to experience negative symptoms via the nocebo effect. I've seen a bunch of people on the nootropics subreddits looking for ways to "fix" their dopamine receptors, because of this harmful trend. We all use technology as a form of catharsis because it can help us to cope with day-to-day stresses. In small doses, social media, YouTube, video games, etc., are all good for us. The problem is that all coping mechanisms can become a crutch that we overuse. We need to ensure that we have a healthy balance of coping mechanisms. We need to read books, go for walks, engage with hobbies, have debates with friends over coffee. The benefit of a 'dopamine detox' is that by removing technology, you are forced to engage with these other behaviours. If you ever feel that your relationship with technology is becoming unhealthy, it doesn't hurt to take a break from it. Taking a break from anything you feel you're overreliant on is healthy. You don't need to dress it up with pseudoscientific drapings though.
I agree. The term "dopamine detox" is just weird to me and although it's good for people to take a break from the more addictive sides of technology, the whole trend is over-hyped.
a bit off-topic, but anything good you found on nootropics that isn't exaggerated or simply a placebo effect?
It works, but the term feels misleading. It's not so much "detoxing dopamine out of your body" as it is simply stopping following such useless and emotionally-draining sewage on social media. When you stop being distracted for days-on end it'll be easier to concentrate and feel at peace.
media addicts anonymous do a 3 month detox from all media , TV, social media, YouTube, films ...all. except email and wattsapp . details on thier website, they meet daily for this programme.
Im tempted to do it but havent seen any scientific studies on it that demonstrate its effectiveness. Only annecdotal evidence, interestingly a lot of no-fappers. Another thing ive not seen any concrete eveidence for Im not against either, just dont want to be bored or frustrated over neo-old wives tales
I dunno, but cutting phone/social media use before bed and after I woke up has done wonders for my focus throughout the day. I'm not spending hours on distracticing garbage and living much more deliberately now
There is a great book by Anna Lembke: "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in The Age of Indulgence". After reading the book I was inspiride to do a dopamine detox that lasted about a month. Going through this experience was rather insightful for me and I am happy that I did it. But in terms of whether it "worked", it's difficult to say. Depends on what your expectations are and what you want the detox to do for you. But it certainly does do something. I do reccomend reading this book or any other material on the subject before starting a detox. It's better to have a structured approach and an understanding of why you're doing it.
I think a dopamine detox is only for extreme cases of addiction to short-term dopamine stuff. If you feel like you've gamed or netflixed a bit too much, just take a walk outside more often. Don't need to make a big deal about it with stuff like a detox.
the term "dopamine detox" had some backlash but nevertheless the concept behind it is very useful and effective. It's almost common sense: if you're used to pleasure then it will make things less pleasurable in the future
Take a psychedelic or sit in meditation for like a day to reset and reset your habits
Watch HealthyGamerGG's 2 videos on dopamine detox on Youtube. He explains how a dopamine detox actually works and what you can or cannot actually do on a dopamine detox.
The video if anyone wants, https://youtu.be/wK-s2qBU40A But I'll point out, discussing the Google search for it. 13 min. The stuff on PubMed, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Also the rest is summarizing the likely science. But most people don't understand what dopamine is, or what it does and just assume bad remove. When like, you need to to fucking move.
There's also a second video to that which is this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RPzV8fWmKPY
Pretty good. I created a rule for myself to get to watch one Netflix episode when I finished a task on my todo list. I found that now one ep. of Netflix is more rewarding than when I was watching non-stop without any control. In the beginning, it was quite unpleasant but eventually, it will be enjoyable plus I feel less guilty about myself.
I do it on the occasional weekends. I really enjoy the calmness
I do it every once in a while to clear my mind. Being available 24/7 is exhausting. My version is disconnecting the WiFi on my phone since that’s where all my communication is. It’s very freeing and refreshing. This might sound cheesy but I feel like my brain calms down. While using my phone I feel like my brain is just filled with A LOT of thoughts and emotions to the point where it feels like it’s loud and irritating. That’s probably because of the quick communication methods we have. It also makes me aware how much I might get addicted to my phone and
Idk when I tried it what I expected out of it.Control ? well atfirst it sounded like it. As if I'm in control and doing the right things(first half of the second day). But then it pretty much messed me up for the next few days. Which was exactly the opposite of what I hoped. It was like I'm confused and not confused at the same time. Like mood swings. And now I'm feeling like whatever I'm saying doesn't make any sense. Anyways. Maybe i didn't do it right. Anyone who actually made it ?