2023-08-05 03:12:02
Abstinence from sex and alcohol
Dopamine Detox – This is behind the new abstinence trend
On Tiktok, people are promoting doing a dopamine detox. Consciously avoiding social media, caffeine and even masturbation should lead to a better life and more success.
von
Valeria Mazzeo
Daniel Tressel
Published5. Aug 2023, 05:12
On Tiktok, numerous users are promoting a dopamine detox. Activities that release a lot of dopamine quickly should be avoided for a certain period of time.
20min/Ela Celik
The aim of the whole thing is to “reset” the brain, which is constantly being overwhelmed with dopamine, and thereby be more focused and happier.
Pexels / Cottonbro Studio
Among other things, social media, smartphones, junk food and music should be avoided. These things make the body simply release a lot of dopamine – this is popularly known as the happiness hormone.
20min/Anna Bila
Many of the videos also advise avoiding pornography, masturbation, or sex.
Pexels/cottonbro studio
Some even think you should skip meeting friends and withdraw.
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Instead, the videos advise meditating and going for nature walks.
Pexels / Cottonbro Studio
Neuroscientist Anjali Raja Beharelle finds the term “dopamine detox” misleading.
Anjali Raja Beharelle
Tiktokers talk regarding their experiences with dopamine fasting on social media. They abstain from media, sex and alcohol.
It is said that this makes them feel more independent from their electronic devices, more focused and happier.
According to expert Anjali Raja Beharelle, doing so can have a positive effect on well-being. However, she sees long-term changes as a result of the few days of abstinence as rather unlikely.
No social media, no music and no masturbation. Numerous videos are circulating on Tiktok a so-called dopamine detox that changes life. The light conversation becomes particularly easy in our brain and a lot of it in the vernacular substance known as the happiness hormone poured out.
Overstimulated dopamine system
By doing without it, you should become more focused and independent and be able to enjoy life more. Such withdrawal is said to make the dopamine receptors more sensitive once more.
The Tiktokers even speak of a “damaged dopamine system”, i.e. a damaged dopamine system that is overstimulated and therefore has to be reset. User “psychadvice”, for example, locks herself in a hotel room for a whole weekend – without electronic devices and any entertainment.
No smartphone, caffeine and pornography
The duration of a dopamine detox varies. It is usually carried out for between two days and two weeks. It is propagated to avoid smartphones and social media as well as junk food, alcohol and caffeine.
Some go even further and consciously abstain from pornography, masturbation and sex, since this releases a lot of dopamine. Even social contacts should be reduced during this phase. On the other hand, one should Meditation and nature walks to implement. As a result, silence and solitude are increasingly valued.
«The term dopamine detox is misleading»
Anjali Raja Beharelle is a neuroscientist and classifies the trend. “I find the term dopamine detox a bit misleading.” Feelings of happiness are more likely to be triggered by endorphins and serotonin. As a hormone, triggering feelings of happiness in us is not the main task of this neurotransmitter. The task of dopamine is to link these rewards in the brain with the associated activities and thus create the motivation to do the same once more.
In addition, it is a misconception that one can fast from a naturally occurring hormone. “We constantly release dopamine at a fundamental frequency. What changes is how the dopamine system responds to different stimuli.”
Deprivation can lead to greater rewards
Our dopamine system has adapted to a new environment where it receives rewarding inputs quickly. This increased impulsiveness makes it harder to endure the temporary discomfort of engaging in longer or more complex content, being alone, or feeling bored.
“If you can overcome that, it can lead to greater rewards in the future,” she says. It therefore makes sense to redesign your environment so that the dopamine system is stimulated once more by healthier stimuli.
However, Raja Beharelle is skeptical regarding the lasting effects of temporary dopamine detoxing: “You quickly slip back into your old habits.” In addition, there is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of dopamine detox.
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