https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dopamine-fasting-misunderstanding-science-spawns-a-maladaptive-fad-2020022618917 Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Health Publishing Logo Search Search [ ] Close Shopping Cart Customer Service Content Licensing About Us Login Open mobile menu Menu Close menu Menu Free HealthBeat Signup Shop Subscriptions Special Health Reports Online Courses Pay Subscription Bill Common Conditions Staying Healthy Resources Blog COVID-19 Updates Customer Service Content Licensing About Us Login * Common Conditions * Staying Healthy * Resources * Blog * Free Healthbeat Signup * Subscriptions * Special Health Reports * Online Courses * Pay Subscription Bill Recent Blog Articles blog image 1 Time to stock up on zinc? blog image 1 Recent study shows more complications with alternative prostate biopsy method blog image 1 Walnuts: A worthy addition to your daily diet? blog image 1 What it takes to achieve world-changing scientific breakthroughs blog image 1 Do weighted blankets help with insomnia? blog image 1 Careful! Health news headlines can be deceiving blog image 1 Why is topical vitamin C important for skin health? blog image 1 Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin blog image 1 Caring for an aging parent? Tips for enjoying holiday meals blog image 1 A conversation about reducing the harms of social media Harvard Health Blog Dopamine fasting: Misunderstanding science spawns a maladaptive fad woman-meditating-at-work-mindful-moddiStock_000057640526_Medium February 26, 2020 * By Peter Grinspoon, MD, Contributor The dopamine fast, created by California psychiatrist Dr. Cameron Sepah, has very little to do with either fasting or dopamine. As Sepah told the New York Times, "Dopamine is just a mechanism that explains how addictions can become reinforced, and makes for a catchy title. The title's not to be taken literally." Unfortunately, with such a snazzy name, who could resist? This is where the misconceptions begin. What's the thinking behind a dopamine fast? What Sepah intended with his dopamine fast was a method, based on cognitive behavioral therapy, by which we can become less dominated by the unhealthy stimuli -- the texts, the notifications, the beeps, the rings -- that accompany living in a modern, technology-centric society. Instead of automatically responding to these reward-inducing cues, which provide us with an immediate but short-lived charge, we ought to allow our brains to take breaks and reset from this potentially addictive bombardment. The idea is that by allowing ourselves to feel lonely or bored, or to find pleasures in doing simpler and more natural activities, we will regain control over our lives and be better able to address compulsive behaviors that may be interfering with our happiness. The six compulsive behaviors he cites as behaviors that may respond to a dopamine fast are: emotional eating, excessive internet usage and gaming, gambling and shopping, porn and masturbation, thrill and novelty seeking, and recreational drugs. But he emphasizes that dopamine fasting can be used to help control any behaviors that are causing you distress or negatively affecting your life. You can't "fast" from a naturally occurring brain chemical Dopamine is one of the body's neurotransmitters, and is involved in our body's system for reward, motivation, learning, and pleasure. While dopamine does rise in response to rewards or pleasurable activities, it doesn't actually decrease when you avoid overstimulating activities, so a dopamine "fast" doesn't actually lower your dopamine levels. Unfortunately, legions of people have misinterpreted the science, as well as the entire concept of a dopamine fast. People are viewing dopamine as if it was heroin or cocaine, and are fasting in the sense of giving themselves a "tolerance break" so that the pleasures of whatever they are depriving themselves of -- food, sex, human contact -- will be more intense or vivid when consumed again, believing that depleted dopamine stores will have replenished themselves. Sadly, it doesn't work that way at all. Fasting may simply be a technique to reduce stress and engage in mindfulness-based practices Sepah recommends that we start a fast in a way that is minimally disruptive to our lifestyles. For example, we could practice dopamine fasting from one to four hours at the end of the day (depending on work and family demands), for one weekend day (spend it outside on a Saturday or Sunday), one weekend per quarter (go on a local trip), and one week per year (go on vacation). This all sounds sensible, if not necessarily new or groundbreaking. In fact, it sounds a lot like many mindfulness practices and good sleep hygiene, in the suggestion of no screen time before bed. However, people are adopting ever more extreme, ascetic, and unhealthy versions of this fasting, based on misconceptions about how dopamine works in our brains. They are not eating, exercising, listening to music, socializing, talking more than necessary, and not allowing themselves to be photographed if there's a flash (not sure if this applies to selfies). Misunderstanding science can create maladaptive behaviors When you think that none of this is actually lowering dopamine, it's kind of funny! Especially since avoiding interacting with people, looking at people, and communicating with people was never part of Sepah's original idea. Human interaction (unless it is somehow compulsive and destructive) is in the category of healthy activities that are supposed to supplant the unhealthy ones, such as surfing social media for hours each day. In essence, the dopamine fasters are depriving themselves of healthy things, for no reason, based on faulty science and a misinterpretation of a catchy title. Taking time out for mental rejuvenation is never a bad thing, but it's nothing new The original intent behind the dopamine fast was to provide a rationale and suggestions for disconnecting from days of technology-driven frenzy and substituting more simple activities to help us reconnect us with ourselves and others. This idea is noble, healthy, and worthwhile, but it's certainly not a new concept. Most religions also suggest a rest day (for example, the Jewish Sabbath) or holidays without technological distractions, so that you can reflect and reconnect with family and community, Thousands of years of meditation also suggests that a mindful approach to living reaps many health benefits. Unfortunately, the modern wellness industry has become so lucrative that people are creating snappy titles for age-old concepts. Perhaps that is how to best categorize this fad, if only we can get its proponents to look at us or speak to us, without disturbing their dopamine levels, in order to explain this to them. Share This Page Share this page to Facebook Share this page to Twitter Share this page via Email Print This Page Click to Print Disclaimer: As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Comments Commenting has been closed for this post. Taking control featured image Mind & Mood Taking control Exposure to traffic noise linked to higher dementia risk featured image Mind & Mood Exposure to traffic noise linked to higher dementia risk Take a breather featured image Mind & Mood Take a breather Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox! [ ] [ ] Sign Up Footer Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical Logo Facebook Twitter Linkedin YouTube My Account * Customer Service * Log in Order Now * Online Learning Courses * Digital Subscriptions * Special Health Reports * Print Subscriptions More * About Us * Permissions * Content Licensing * Topics (c) 2021 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College Do not sell my personal information | Privacy Policy Close Harvard Health Publishing Logo Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness, is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health, plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise, pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more. [ ] [ ] I want to get healthier Close Harvard Health Publishing Logo Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss...from exercises to build a stronger core to advice on treating cataracts. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts. BONUS! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of the Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness [shr200px-c] [ ] [ ] I want to get healthier Close Harvard Health Publishing Logo Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Plus, get a FREE copy of the Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness. [ ] [ ] Sign me up