Refraining from games, shopping, alcohol and screens to get better focus, feel less stress and be more present in the moment. It’s called dopamine detox according to a trend spreading on social media. The method, which is also known as dopamine fasting, involves temporarily abstaining from activities and substances that can affect the body and mind negatively.
Daniel Örtegren Desai tested the trend for a day.
– I quite quickly fell into a pattern of eating a lot of sweets, eating a lot of fast food, sleeping for a very long time, drinking a lot of coffee and not exercising – everything that goes for quick rewards, he says and continues:
– Then I found a video that explained dopamine detox and what it was.
“I gained a new appreciation for small things”
He locked himself in his dark apartment in Malmö, drew the curtains and ate only unseasoned food such as porridge and lentils. After the past 24 hours, he got food for thought.
– I remember that I gained a new appreciation for small things such as drinking a cup of coffee for breakfast or being able to have salt on my food or taking a walk in the sunshine. All that became much more grateful when I had lived ascetically for a day, says Daniel Örtegren Desai.
“Misinterpretation”
At the same time, the dopamine fasting method has received criticism for not being scientifically supported and because the name is misleading. It’s not about giving up all types of dopamine, but what you eat, drink or do too much of.
– What Daniel did was more of this ascetic version which is usually a misinterpretation of how one should actually carry out a dopamine fast, says the therapist and author Patrik Wincent, who has written a book on the subject.
He emphasizes the importance of an even distribution of the fast.
– The point is to find a balance and then it’s about what is taking up your time, what is it that steals your attention, what is it that makes you scroll on your phone late at night and the like that creates a consequence.
Despite the fact that intense dopamine fasting is not scientifically proven, Patrik Wincent believes that there is no shortage of studies on the impact of screens on people.
– There is a great deal of evidence that mental illness occurs when we excessively use our social media, mobile phones and screens.
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