The term dopamine fasting was coined by Dr. Cameron Sepah, a psychiatrist based in California. Contrary to what the name implies, it isn’t about reducing dopamine production, but rather about managing behaviors that trigger addictive dopamine responses, like endless scrolling or binge-watching.
Putting your phone down, shutting off Netflix, ignoring your favorite snack, and doing nothing at all, fornia, has nothing to do with dopamine or fasting.
Does that sound boring? Or peaceful?
This is simply the concept behind dopamine fasting.
A dopamine detox can be carried out by identifying one’s overstimulating activities and substituting them with less stimulating pursuits, such as reading or gardening.
To find out more about dopamine fasting, continue reading.
First, What is Dopamine?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger in the brain, that plays a major role in how we feel pleasure, stay motivated, and form habits. Activities like eating chocolate, playing video games, or receiving social media likes cause a dopamine “spike,” reinforcing the behavior..
Any activity that releases dopamine has the potential to become addictive, such as:
- Social networking
- Binge eating
- Candies
- Video games
- Alcohol
- Drugs
What happens when your dopamine is low
When you’re low on dopamine, you can experience:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Trouble with attention
So, What is Dopamine Fast?
Dopamine fasting isn’t about depriving yourself of all joy, nor is it a literal “fast” from dopamine. Instead, it’s a technique meant to reduce compulsive behaviors by temporarily avoiding overstimulating activities. Think of it as pressing pause on your cravings to regain control over your attention and time.
Try some more fulfilling activities:
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Walk
- Hobby
How to Try Dopamine Fasting:
- Identify your triggers: Social media, video games, processed food, etc.
- Take breaks from stimulation: Set screen-free hours or entire days.
- Replace with low-stimulus activities: Reading, journaling, meditating, walking.
- Set boundaries: Avoid all-or-nothing thinking. Start small — even an hour a day counts.
Does Dopamine Fasting Really Work?
Dopamine fasting, as Dr. Sepah explains, isn’t about removing dopamine but about learning to regulate impulses. While evidence is mostly anecdotal, some research links excessive screen time and social media to increased anxiety and lower focus, especially among young people. The practice may help break that loop.
According to research, social media and smartphone use are connected with higher rates of mental health disorders and emotional distress in young people.
When you try a dopamine reset, it doesn’t really mean that you cut yourself completely from activities that please you, but instead, you try cutting yourself off from unhealthy behaviours like scrolling uselessly on social media and playing video games, drugs, gambling, and smoking.
Dopamine fasting might be helpful if:
- You feel constantly distracted or restless
- You’ve lost interest in everyday activities
- You instinctively reach for your phone at every pause
- You want to boost your focus, creativity, or willpower
For whom is dopamine fasting right?
It’s worth a try for almost anyone who feels overloaded, diverted, or caught up in a cycle of scrolling and snacking. Particularly if:
- You can’t remain unmoved without reaching for your phone.
- You no longer find “normal” fun enjoyable.
- Most of the time, you experience anxiety or restlessness.
- You wish to increase your capacity for self-control, creativity, or focus.
You don’t need to take it too far. Even an hour a day without using a screen or being stimulated can make a big difference.
Common Misconception About Dopamine Fasting
A common misunderstanding is that dopamine fasting reduces dopamine levels. That’s biologically inaccurate — dopamine is always active in the brain. What changes is your reaction to stimuli. The method is rooted in CBT principles and focuses on breaking automatic behavioral loops and regaining self-awareness.
So, dopamine fasting teaches us to restrain from actions that we may perform on impulse (for example, immediately opening a social media app when we open the phone for some other reason). So, restrictions on such impulses will result in a change of behaviour.
Conclusion
You don’t have to go off the grid. Even brief breaks from constant stimulation can refresh your focus and improve your mental clarity. Dopamine fasting isn’t about deprivation — it’s about being intentional. By doing less, you might just experience more.
Give your brain a break. And perhaps, just possibly, you will rediscover the small pleasures in life.
