Dopamine detox

When the dopamine system needs a break

Dopamine - a neurotransmitter that stimulates the zone of positive emotions - is one of the main drivers of human motivation. Seeking pleasure is what most human actions are aimed at, and modern civilization is built to a large extent on pleasure itself.

And everything would be fine, but Mother Nature probably did not expect us to invent social media, learn how to mass-produce sweets, and start using half-dressed girls in advertising.

By doing this, we constantly overload the dopamine system, and in response it begins to suppress itself.

In order to return it to a more natural state, it is worth giving dopamine synapses, that is, the connections between neurons, some rest from time to time.

Here is the recipe:

• turn off social media for at least a day, and ideally for a week;
• stop consuming sweets and processed food.

And to compensate for that - watch the sunset and listen to birds. Pleasure works through different mechanisms there.

This will not hurt your detox. Quite the opposite.