What Is Dopamine Fasting? Does It Really Work?

Dopamine fasting supporters claim that consistent engagement with overstimulating activities ends up bombarding the brain with excessive dopamine. They also claim that taking a dopamine fast could help foster a sense of calmness.

Dopamine Fasting Explained

Dopamine fasting, or dopamine detox, involves the abstinence of activities that overstimulate. These activities may include eating junk foods and playing video games. Proponents of the practice claim that engaging in a dopamine detox can help reset the dopamine receptors of the brain.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, which is a substance that relays chemical messages from a neuron to a target cell. Among other neurotransmitters, dopamine is associated with motivation, pleasure, and reward.

Marissa Moore, MA, LPC, a licensed professional counselor, says that the aim of dopamine fasting is to reduce the dopamine system's overstimulation. Moore notes that people are consistently bombarded with stimuli, which could result in the excessive release of dopamine. The stimuli include junk food, social media, and video games.

To engage in dopamine fasting, a person should pinpoint activities that are overstimulating and replace them with activities that are less stimulating, such as gardening or reading.

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Potential Benefits of Dopamine Detox

Moore explains that the practice could be helpful for those who excessively depend on activities for instant gratification and experience a lack of motivation. It could also aid those who struggle with attention, focus, or productivity that stems from excessive technology use and other kinds of stimulating activities.

Jeanette Raymond, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist, explains that taking dopamine breaks could calm the nervous system down, help a person search for their center, and give them a greater sense of groundedness. It could also prevent tolerance development, which refers to the need to have more and more dopamine to yield similar effects.

However, when it comes to obtaining the necessary dopamine amounts, there are more natural ways to do so. Raymond notes that having satisfying social connections that include touch, which boosts dopamine, could prevent the addictive qualities that are fostered by dopamine binges.

Not a Science-Based Practice

People who engage in dopamine fasting claim that the practice could aid in resetting their dopamine receptors. However, it is important to note that dopamine fasting is a practice that is not supported by research.

Dr. David Tzall, PsyD, a licensed psychologist, says that dopamine fasting should be taken with caution. Dr. Tzall explains that the practice is not approved or recommended by mental health practitioners due to the lack of empirical evidence. The dopamine system of the brain is complex. Resetting it through short-term changes in behavior is not feasible.

Dr. Tzall also notes that suddenly stopping pleasurable engagements, which could be serving as coping mechanisms, can negatively impact the mental health of a person. This toll could especially be experienced by those who heavily depend on these activities for stress management.

He also adds that when the detox period reaches its end, a rebound effect could take place. People could feel a strong urge to do the activities that they were previously restricted from doing. This could result in binge-like behavior. If this happens, the detox's purpose would be defeated.

Generally, dopamine detox is not scientifically supported or proven. It is important that the practice be approached with caution and that people know that the outcomes of the practice could vary from person to person.