6 ms·

Is dopamine fasting really a thing? Sounds very dubious to me, dopamine gets a bad rap but it's actually a very essential chemical in the brain for all kinds of

Is dopamine fasting really a thing? Sounds very dubious to me, dopamine gets a bad rap but it's actually a very essential chemical in the brain for all kinds of things. Maybe what is meant by the term is more 'digital detox' which I can see working for all kinds of reasons unrelated to dopamine.

tokai 5y ago
No its not a thing. It's a modern variant of the holistic detoxification fad. There might be good things in taking breaks from your everyday stimuli, but the connection to dopamine is wholly imagined and pseudoscienctific.
drekipus 5y ago
It's a very similar idea. But you could imagine that your brain would be mentally fatigued if you want from chocolate, to video games, to jerking off, to having a cigarette. Etc. It's a buzzword to get the point across,
TekMol 5y ago
What I mean with dopamine fasting is not giving in to the urge of a quick dopamine kick for a certain amount of time. Say you feel the urge to play another round of a video game. You tell yourself "No, make a break". Now your brain replies "Ok, then let's eat some chocolate". You reply "No, let's not eat chocolate either". Now your brain replies "What? You said take a break from the GAME! Why not chocolate? Ok, then lets drink a coffee". Now you reply "We take a break from dopamine! No game, chocolate, coffee, beer etc! You understand?". Your brain "Damn. Ok. Grumble. Grumble.". Then later in the day: Your Brain: "I feel so good today. I wonder why?"
- alpaca128 5y ago
  My brain disagrees that it feels good to be dopamine deprived in some areas already and then taking away most of the rest too. I'd say if you manage to pull that off for a few days, let alone weeks as I've seen suggested for dopamine fasting, you didn't have a problem with it in the first place.
- guerrilla 5y ago
  > a quick dopamine kick I believe you misunderstand how dopamine works.[1] What you're talking about is called self-discipline in English and has value but doesn't need pseudoscience to support it. 1. https://neuwritesd.org/2017/09/28/dopamine-is-not-your-brains-reward-chemical/ https://neuwritesd.org/2017/09/28/dopamine-is-not-your-brain...
  - bloqs 5y ago
    This response is like so many others on this topic. "Dopamine fasting" is not a literal or scientific term, its not pseudoscientific either. It merely describes the process (perhaps incorrectly) of imposing some challenge to impulsive behaviours which is a perfectly acceptable way to help break these habitual behaviors, neurologically speaking that is perfectly sound, and consistent with scientific insight into this area. People often misunderstand and apply the overly simplistic "dopamine bad" mentality and think it's somehow about volume of dopamine which is laughably incorrrect for such a complex and nuanced process. But critics can't see the woods for the trees with this one.
    - guerrilla 5y ago
      You missed the point. The person I'm responding to believes dopamine is the brain's reward chemical. It's not.
      - bloqs 5y ago
        Oh, my bad.
camhart 5y ago
From personal experience: * If I don't eat sugar for a week, the next time I eat it, it tastes way better * If I don't watch TV for a week, the next time I watch a good movie, it's way more enjoyable * If I'm physically active for a week, the lazy day after that week of physical activity is more enjoyable In my experience, a lot of things in life seem more enjoyable when moderated. The list can certainly be expanded. No clue if this is official dopamine fasting, but that's what it makes me think of. And to be honest, I don't care what the science says on this*... my own personal experience is important enough for me to change the way I behave. * unless it says it'll somehow lead to some horrible outcome down the road... then I'd consider it
- alliao 5y ago
  growing up in Taiwan there's a branch of Buddhism that does this ultra hardcore 10 days bootcamp where you can't speak nor supposed to look at others and you just go about your day with everyone else, bit of chanting and a lot of meditation. Imagine life after that! I guess you're be buzzing for a day or two at least... and yes some do get addicted to that.
- can16358p 5y ago
  About the third point, interesting that it's exactly the opposite. If I get used to being physically active, the next day that I am NOT physically active I feel terrible. On the other hand, if I have been lazy for a period, then one day I do a very brief exercise, even a 10-min moderate run, makes me feel excellent. However when I start doing those runs everyday, I don't feel that same good feeling.
  - camhart 5y ago
    > If I get used to being physically active, the next day that I am NOT physically active I feel terrible. How hard are you pushing it? Increase the difficulty/duration, and you may find a different outcome. I'm not talking pro-athlete level, but competitive high school athlete level (2-3 hours / day, 5-6 days / week, with some good lung heaving moments each day). > On the other hand, if I have been lazy for a period, then one day I do a very brief exercise, even a 10-min moderate run, makes me feel excellent. However when I start doing those runs everyday, I don't feel that same good feeling. I don't think this is the opposite. One is moderation of laziness, the other of physical activity. "If I'm lazy for a week, the day of exercise after that lazy week is more enjoyable".

tokai 5y ago

No its not a thing. It's a modern variant of the holistic detoxification fad. There might be good things in taking breaks from your everyday stimuli, but the connection to dopamine is wholly imagined and pseudoscienctific.

drekipus 5y ago

It's a very similar idea. But you could imagine that your brain would be mentally fatigued if you want from chocolate, to video games, to jerking off, to having a cigarette. Etc. It's a buzzword to get the point across,

TekMol 5y ago

What I mean with dopamine fasting is not giving in to the urge of a quick dopamine kick for a certain amount of time. Say you feel the urge to play another round of a video game. You tell yourself "No, make a break". Now your brain replies "Ok, then let's eat some chocolate". You reply "No, let's not eat chocolate either". Now your brain replies "What? You said take a break from the GAME! Why not chocolate? Ok, then lets drink a coffee". Now you reply "We take a break from dopamine! No game, chocolate, coffee, beer etc! You understand?". Your brain "Damn. Ok. Grumble. Grumble.". Then later in the day: Your Brain: "I feel so good today. I wonder why?"

alpaca128 5y ago
My brain disagrees that it feels good to be dopamine deprived in some areas already and then taking away most of the rest too. I'd say if you manage to pull that off for a few days, let alone weeks as I've seen suggested for dopamine fasting, you didn't have a problem with it in the first place.
guerrilla 5y ago
> a quick dopamine kick I believe you misunderstand how dopamine works.[1] What you're talking about is called self-discipline in English and has value but doesn't need pseudoscience to support it. 1. https://neuwritesd.org/2017/09/28/dopamine-is-not-your-brains-reward-chemical/ https://neuwritesd.org/2017/09/28/dopamine-is-not-your-brain...
- bloqs 5y ago
  This response is like so many others on this topic. "Dopamine fasting" is not a literal or scientific term, its not pseudoscientific either. It merely describes the process (perhaps incorrectly) of imposing some challenge to impulsive behaviours which is a perfectly acceptable way to help break these habitual behaviors, neurologically speaking that is perfectly sound, and consistent with scientific insight into this area. People often misunderstand and apply the overly simplistic "dopamine bad" mentality and think it's somehow about volume of dopamine which is laughably incorrrect for such a complex and nuanced process. But critics can't see the woods for the trees with this one.
  - guerrilla 5y ago
    You missed the point. The person I'm responding to believes dopamine is the brain's reward chemical. It's not.
    - bloqs 5y ago
      Oh, my bad.

camhart 5y ago

From personal experience: * If I don't eat sugar for a week, the next time I eat it, it tastes way better * If I don't watch TV for a week, the next time I watch a good movie, it's way more enjoyable * If I'm physically active for a week, the lazy day after that week of physical activity is more enjoyable In my experience, a lot of things in life seem more enjoyable when moderated. The list can certainly be expanded. No clue if this is official dopamine fasting, but that's what it makes me think of. And to be honest, I don't care what the science says on this*... my own personal experience is important enough for me to change the way I behave. * unless it says it'll somehow lead to some horrible outcome down the road... then I'd consider it

alliao 5y ago
growing up in Taiwan there's a branch of Buddhism that does this ultra hardcore 10 days bootcamp where you can't speak nor supposed to look at others and you just go about your day with everyone else, bit of chanting and a lot of meditation. Imagine life after that! I guess you're be buzzing for a day or two at least... and yes some do get addicted to that.
can16358p 5y ago
About the third point, interesting that it's exactly the opposite. If I get used to being physically active, the next day that I am NOT physically active I feel terrible. On the other hand, if I have been lazy for a period, then one day I do a very brief exercise, even a 10-min moderate run, makes me feel excellent. However when I start doing those runs everyday, I don't feel that same good feeling.
- camhart 5y ago
  > If I get used to being physically active, the next day that I am NOT physically active I feel terrible. How hard are you pushing it? Increase the difficulty/duration, and you may find a different outcome. I'm not talking pro-athlete level, but competitive high school athlete level (2-3 hours / day, 5-6 days / week, with some good lung heaving moments each day). > On the other hand, if I have been lazy for a period, then one day I do a very brief exercise, even a 10-min moderate run, makes me feel excellent. However when I start doing those runs everyday, I don't feel that same good feeling. I don't think this is the opposite. One is moderation of laziness, the other of physical activity. "If I'm lazy for a week, the day of exercise after that lazy week is more enjoyable".