Lifestyle Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. If you’re guilty of doom scrolling your way to distraction from time to time, rest assured you’re not alone.
Like many of us, you’re likely just staring into your screen in the hopes that you receive a much-needed hit of dopamine. Trouble is, with our devices virtually glued to our limbs, that dopamine spike seems to be getting further and further from our reach. So, what’s the solution? Enter: the dopamine detox.
Although the concept in and of itself is not entirely new – and has been floating around the internet for decades, in fact – undertaking a dopamine detox or a dopamine ‘fast’ is a trend that’s once again gaining momentum online. And the good news is, its premise still seems to hold merit. “There is certainly science behind it, as there is increasing interest in ‘biohacking’ and understanding how the body-mind connection works so we can operate as our optimum self ,” explains clinical psychologist, Dr Aileen Alegado from Mindset Consulting .
“Dopamine is a powerful neurochemical that gets released in areas of the brain that give us feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. And it also has a role to play in functions such as memory, learning, mood, sleep, concentration and movement, to name a few.” The theory is that by abstaining from certain activities or any bad habits that spike our dopamine levels, we can sort of recalibra.
