The real guide to dopamine detox: Pros, cons, and practical ways to try it
Thriveworks explores whether a dopamine detox is really worth doing. Discover the proven benefits, common misconceptions, and ways to do it to lower overstimulation and regain focus in daily life.
The real guide to dopamine detox: Pros, cons, and practical ways to try it
Updated
Dopamine detoxes are all over social media, with many influencers talking about doing a "five-day dopamine detox" in which they stay away from social media, podcasts, TV, processed food, and other things that feel unhealthy or take up too much of their free time.
The practice, sometimes called dopamine fasting, involves taking a temporary break from activities that flood your brain with the feel-good neurotransmitter called dopamine. People do this in order to regain focus, improve mood, and lessen their dependence on instant gratification. But are influencers doing it right? And is a so-called "dopamine detox" something that's worth doing at all?
Thriveworks dug into the research and asked licensed experts in psychology, addiction, and lifestyle change to break it down.
What is dopamine?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in your brain's reward system, motivation, and pleasure response. It's known as the "feel-good" hormone because it's released when we experience something fun, rewarding, or pleasurable.
Dopamine reinforces those behaviors by creating a feeling of satisfaction. This reward system is designed to get humans to do more of the things we need to do to survive, like drink, eat, socialize, and reproduce. We're hard-wired to seek out the feeling these dopamine-triggering activities provide.
Dopamine also has important functions in many other systems of the brain and body such as movement control, emotion, learning, executive functions like memory and problem-solving, kidney function, sleep, and the immune system. Research suggests that there is a link between low levels of dopamine and depression, as well as ADHD symptoms like impulsivity.
What triggers dopamine release
Dopamine is produced and released on a regular basis by specialized neurons in your brain. Your brain also releases extra bursts of dopamine when you do things that humans need to do to survive, like eating meals and having sex.
You get an extra dose of dopamine from non-essential activities that are pleasurable and stimulating too, such as snacking on sweets, shopping, swiping on Tinder, or scrolling social media. Social media is one of the most potent modern triggers for dopamine, thanks to something called variable rewards, a tactic that companies like Meta, Tinder, and X leverage to keep users coming back.
"You know the feeling when you're watching Reels on Instagram and you know that you have to stop but the drive to see 'just one more' feels like such a strong pull? That's dopamine at work," explains Kari Anderson, DBH, LPC, author of "Food, Body, and Love."
The best way to understand the variable reward system is to think about a slot machine: The payoffs are unpredictable, but when you win, the pleasure is intense and so is the urge to do it again. When you get a reward sometimes but not every time, your brain thinks, "Hey, maybe next time!"—and you want to keep pulling the lever and coming back for more.
Aside from social media, other common modern triggers for dopamine release include:
- Smartphone notifications: These pings and pop-ups trigger dopamine in anticipation of a stimulating activity.
- Video and mobile games: Digital games provide constant achievement and reward structures designed to maximize pleasure, stimulation, and motivation to keep coming back.
- Gambling: The original variable-rewards activity, gambling generates significant dopamine during anticipation of potential rewards.
- Shopping: Adding things to your cart creates anticipatory dopamine, which explains why retail therapy can actually work.
- Snacking on sugary foods: These snacks naturally trigger dopamine in a feedback loop that evolved to encourage us to eat (formerly) rare, high-calorie foods when they became available.
These dopamine-triggering behaviors aren't necessarily bad or unhealthy. However, they can become a problem for people who overuse them as distractions, or as tools to cope with life, notes Sara Stanizai, MA, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist in California. "They can be soothing in the short term but increase stress in the long term by causing damage to relationships, making you feel 'stuck' and reducing feelings of personal agency," she says. "It's fine to have these habits or coping tools in your toolbox. But what you don't want is to lose all the other tools in your toolbox or forget what else might be pleasurable or beneficial."
What are the symptoms of high dopamine?
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When someone experiences high dopamine levels, they can feel extremely energized, euphoric, sexually charged, or aggressive. They may also have trouble sleeping and controlling their impulses.
Indulging in social media, gaming, or snacking won't necessarily cause high dopamine levels, though—these activities release temporary bursts of the neurotransmitter. True "high dopamine" situations are rare and typically associated with conditions like schizophrenia, mania, addiction, or certain medications (like for Parkinson's). What does too much dopamine feel like? A person might notice:
- Euphoria or mania
- Insomnia
- Increase in impulsivity or risk-taking
- Anger or aggression
- A high sex drive
Can you become addicted to dopamine?
No, you can't become addicted to dopamine, but some experts believe behaviors that trigger the release of dopamine can become "addictive" when they hijack your natural reward system.
Although the research is mixed, many experts—including the ones Thriveworks talked to—believe sugary foods, social media, gaming, and other highly stimulating activities can be addictive. "There's nothing wrong with distracting ourselves with these types of activities, but they can also turn into compulsions or addictions," Stanizai says.
"The human brain gets used to a certain amount of dopamine activity each day," says David Wiss, PhD, MS, RDN, a mental health nutritionist in Los Angeles who focuses on addiction recovery and lifestyle changes and founder of the Wise Mind Nutrition app. When your brain forms strong neural pathways around these behaviors and starts to expect these bursts, you can develop a kind of dependence on these activities to feel good.
What is a dopamine detox?
A dopamine detox is a deliberate break from highly stimulating behaviors. People do it to try to break bad habits, reduce stress, recalibrate their relationship with these activities, and improve their enjoyment of slower, more meaningful pursuits.
This practice, sometimes called dopamine fasting, typically involves temporarily eliminating or reducing activities like social media, video games, news consumption, snacking on sugary food, shopping, and other highly stimulating experiences. By cutting out these supercharged dopamine triggers, detoxers are trying to decrease their dependence on these habits, find more time to pursue their goals, and take genuine pleasure in less intense activities like reading or being outside.
Does a dopamine detox actually work?
There's no research to support extreme dopamine detoxes as they're being done by some influencers. The brain continuously produces dopamine regardless of external stimuli, so the idea of a complete detox is biologically impossible. However, studies suggest that strategic breaks from overstimulating activities can be good for mental health.
A 2025 study found that blocking the internet from people's smartphones for two weeks increased their feelings of well-being and boosted their ability to focus. (The researchers think some benefits may be due to what people did instead of surfing: Without mobile access to the internet, people spent more time moving, being outside, and socializing face to face.) And an earlier study that limited people to 30 minutes of social media for two weeks resulted in improved sleep, lowered stress, and more satisfaction with life.
"I have clients who challenge themselves to change their habits in many ways, ranging from going cold turkey to simply being mindful and making different choices at certain times," Stanizai says. "Sometimes there is a personal goal they want to reach and the habit change is temporary until they reach that goal, or there is a religious or cultural component, like giving something up for Ramadan or Lent. All of these can be helpful in not only breaking a habit, but in shedding light on the purpose it was serving for that person."
The benefits of a dopamine detox
As noted earlier, the benefits of a dopamine detox are more likely tied to taking breaks from overstimulating activities rather than changes in dopamine production or activity. Some potential benefits of that include:
- Improved focus and attention
- More enjoyment of simple pleasures
- A heightened sense of well-being
- More mindful technology use
- More time to devote to exercise, in-person socializing, and pursuing goals
It's important to note, however, that you may feel a little—or a lot—worse before you start to feel better. "Once the reward pathway has been established, when you stop the behavior, you feel crappy because there is an actual withdrawal of the baseline level of dopamine that you're used to," Anderson says.
Wiss agrees: "Dopamine withdrawals are very real." Many people start to feel better after just a few days, but for others it can take weeks to feel rebalanced, he says.
How to try a dopamine detox
Start with temporary breaks from one or two activities, rather than trying to eliminate all of your pleasurable little vices. While some influencers promote intense protocols like a seven-day dopamine detox or even a 30-day dopamine detox, starting with smaller interventions is more sustainable.
"Most people find it easier to wean themselves off rewarding behaviors and substances over time," Wiss says. That said, Wiss and Anderson both support the idea of using a retreat or vacation as an opportunity to interrupt bad habits and do a heftier detox. Being away from your normal environment with new experiences that can compete with your old patterns is very helpful, Wiss says.
"If someone is going to stop all at once, they will need to have a plan of support and have other pleasurable activities, whole delicious foods, music, nature walks, animals, and safe people to connect and help you through the process," Anderson adds.
Ultimately, what works for one person won't necessarily be ideal for another. Here are some tips to help you build your own successful version of a dopamine detox:
1. Schedule deliberate (and realistic) tech breaks.
Designate specific tech-free times daily (such as the first hour after waking, meals, or 90 minutes before bed) and stick to them by putting your devices physically out of reach.
2. Replace, don't just remove.
Instead of simply eliminating pleasurable activities, replace them with alternatives. "Replace one habit with something else that serves a similar purpose," Stanizai says. "If you're zoning out in front of the TV, try switching to an audio book or a creative hobby. It's not about the activity itself, it's about seeing if you have the power to make a different choice. There's nothing inherently better or worse about video games versus coloring books, but people run into trouble when they feel powerless over their choices."
3. Create a lower-stimulation environment.
Turn off notifications on your devices, use grayscale mode on your phone, and create physical distance between yourself and tempting technology when you're trying to work or relax.
4. Consider a weekend reset.
Pick one weekend per month for a more intensive reset, in which you minimize technology, processed foods, shopping, and news consumption while maximizing nature time, deep conversations, and creative pursuits.
5. Don't cut too deep.
Whether or not a habit is hurting you depends on how much it's disrupting your moods, emotions, job, relationships, or overall goals in life, Anderson says. "Not all things need to be 'let go.' People can find the dopamine sweet spot and manage a perfectly good life if they have reasonable boundaries in place," she says. "Some people have neuropathways that need more caution and can easily go overboard, so 'know thyself' and honor yourself—don't try to please others or fall into the trap of thinking someone else knows what's right for you."
6. Prepare to feel uncomfortable.
"There is always a period of adjustment when you're breaking a habit," Stanizai says. "You might feel anxious, bored, or mildly depressed without your go-to comfort activity. It might be because you miss the connection, information, or fun of it—but it might also be that now you're faced with something you were trying to avoid. Just ride it out and give yourself the chance to adjust."
Pay attention to your feelings, make note of them, and see if there's anything to learn from them. If you suspect that there may be deeper issues at play such as anxiety disorders, ADHD, trauma, or addiction, remember that "a good therapist can help," Stanizai adds.
The bottom line on dopamine detoxes
A dopamine detox won't magically reset your brain chemistry, but reducing overstimulation can improve focus, mood, and enjoyment of everyday life. The purpose isn't to take away sources of pleasure but rather to break or lessen your dependency on social media, doom-scrolling, mindless snacking, and other not-so-great behaviors so you can rediscover satisfaction in meaningful activities that truly matter to you.
This story was produced by Thriveworks and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Originally published on thriveworks.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
