The Neuroscience Of Dopamine Detox: Why Dopamine Fasting Doesn't Work And What To Do Instead To Reset Your Dopamine Levels, Take Back Control Of Your Brain And End Laziness

by Andrew Humington, NeuroMastery Lab

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." - Blaise Pascal.
Do you feel compelled to do things you don’t enjoy?

Does your mind feel like a battleground, where good decisions lose to impulsive urges?

Did fun activities stop being as enjoyable as they used to be?


Then your brain might have been tricked into releasing too much dopamine.

Dopamine is the molecule of desire and drive. Without it, we can’t achieve anything.

But our modern society has hijacked it!

Every day, companies wanting to sell their products or media wanting our attention are bombarding us with notifications and distractions, manipulating our brain chemistry for their benefit.

Smartphones, YouTube, social media, video games … Our brains don’t stand a chance.

Dr. Andrew Huberman says it "The problem is not pleasure; the problem is pleasure experienced without the prior requirement of pursuit"!

What is the solution then? Some suggest going on a dopamine detox until your dopamine levels drop.

Does it work?

Yes … kind of … it’s complex…


Dopamine Detox is riddled with misconceptions and lacks solid neuroscientific support.

Many so-called experts exploit this trend for easy views and clicks, with little regard for the complexities of the human brain.

Here’s the

Dopamine “detox” has nothing to do with dopamine levels and everything to do with dopamine receptors.

When overwhelmed by dopamine, our receptors downregulate, making us less sensitive to dopamine released during meaningful activities.


That’s why you don’t really feel the dopamine released during challenging activities, even though it’s still there.

Instead, you feel a general lack of motivation and even activities you used to enjoy doing don’t seem as pleasurable anymore.

That’s why instead of a Dopamine “Detox,” you should go for a Dopamine Receptor “Reset.”

However, if you want to act on your dopamine receptors, 1 or 2 days a week or a month are not going to cut it …

You must do it for at least two weeks!

But let's face abandoning modern society and its technology for this long is impossible for most of us.

We rely on it for work, education, and everyday life, and distractions are omnipresent.

And if you try to willpower your way through it, you're doomed to fail and compulsively relapse.


So should we lose hope?
Or is it possible to reset our dopamine receptors without having to leave society behind?

Well, that’s why I wrote this book.

To empower you with a deep understanding of dopamine reset and equip you with scientifically proven strategies and protocols to regain control over your mind.

Inside you’ll The common myths and misconceptions about the concept of dopamine detox (you have probably already heard several of them).The true role of dopamine in our brains and lives.What exactly is the Dopamine Theory of Addiction?The scientific evidence of dopamine detox’s effects on your brain.How to tailor your dopamine detox to your personal goals and needs.

Genres: Self Help

54 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2023

Reviews

[Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but interesting book about what is exactly dopamine (besides the buzz word used all over the place, usually for marketing reasons) and how it works.
I was expecting though a little bit more expanded detox topic, as I realised that I had already finished this part just because of the next chapter‘s title.

[Jordy B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat een leven hebben we toch in deze tijd. Boodschappen worden tot je voordeur gebracht, een verse pizza staat binnen 10 minuten voor je deur en we worden heel de dag vermaakt door Netflix en social media. We scrollen ons verloren op Instagram, graaien de snoepkast leeg als we even wat minder in ons vel zitten, kunnen toch dat drankje niet laten staan en kopen allerlei onzinnige dingen via apps als Temu die we eigenlijk niet nodig hebben. Maar we doen het allemaal omdat het ons zo’n lekker gevoel geeft.

Dat lekkere gevoel, waar komt dat toch vandaan en wat maakt dat we er alsmaar meer van willen, maar ook meer van nodig hebben om tevreden te zijn? Dat gevoel komt van dopamine, het beloningsstofje dat in onze hersenen wordt aangemaakt. En over dat stofje en de achtergronden ervan gaat het in het boek ‘De dopaminefactor’ van Anna Lembke.

In het boek legt Anna aan de hand van voorbeelden uit haar eigen praktijk uit hoe dopamine in elkaar zit en waar verslavingen vandaan komen. Want uiteindelijk zijn we allemaal wel ergens aan verslaafd, zo noemt ze onze smartphone de moderne injectienaald die 24/7 tot onze beschikking staat. Maar hoe komen we af van deze verslaving? Dat is wat in het tweede deel van het boek wordt beschreven.

Wat voor mij de mooie dingen zijn die ik uit het boek heb gehaald waren de stukken over eerlijkheid, authenticiteit en het opzoeken van de ‘pijnkant’ zoals Anna dat noemt. Wat ik persoonlijk minder vond is dat ik het met de (vele) praktijkverhalen soms van de hak op de tak vond gaan en dat er wel heel veel wordt gerefereerd aan onderzoeken, waaronder laboratoriumonderzoeken met ratten. Die stukken vond ik wat saaier om te lezen, maar dat is een kwestie van persoonlijke voorkeur.

Ik geef het boek in zijn algemeenheid 3 sterren.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. I'm relatively new to topics like dopamine, neurology, etc., so this served as a gentle introduction for me. It's quite technical and may not be as practical as it seems, but I'd recommend giving it a quick skim or glance.

[Kayla West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, simple and straightforward; good foundation into dopamine & related neuroscience topics

[Joseph O. Gilpatric II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

After reading this book, I have a better understanding of dopamine and the effect on the human mind. There are some medical terminology used, but still worth the read.

[Cleopatra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dopamine Theory of Addiction is so interesting.

[Isidora Angulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and quick to read. It includes some technical information to explain the neuroscience of the dopamine detox.

[Jannie Viljoen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great

Changed my life just by think with what I am keeping myself busy every day and what is really worth it.

[Lia D'Amico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Curtinho, claro e fácil de compreender.