Control your Dopamine

Dopamine: The Brain’s Feel-Good Neurotransmitter and the Age of Overstimulation

Dopamine is often called the brain’s "feel-good hormone." It plays a crucial role in both the mind and body, influencing motivation, focus, and our sense of reward. But in recent years, the tech world has introduced a concept called dopamine fasting—a trend that started in Silicon Valley and has quietly spread across many parts of the developed world.

Why? Because dopamine is not just any chemical—it’s a motivating brain neurotransmitter. It gets released when we anticipate pleasure from an activity. This is known as the reward motivation effect. In simpler terms, dopamine is what drives us toward action, promising a sense of satisfaction at the end.

So Why Is Dopamine Fasting Trending?

Let’s come to that. Not long ago, a question was posed in an online community: What disrupts your focus the most when you’re trying to concentrate deeply on a task? The most common answer was—notifications from electronic gadgets.

Technology has made great strides, but in the process, we are losing our most vital tool for success: focus.

Just think about it. One little “ping” from a phone notification or a loud reminder from a laptop—and suddenly, our attention is hijacked. Studies show it takes around 23 minutes to regain focus once it's broken. But every time a social media message, a like, or a comment pops up, we feel a sense of validation, and we rush toward it—again and again.

And deep down, we know this habit is doing more harm than good.

The High Cost of Low Attention

Our brains become increasingly distracted. Likes and comments trigger dopamine surges, shrinking our attention span and making us more impatient over time. It’s a slow drift into a dangerous place—one that experts now call overstimulation.

Interestingly, the pace of the Earth hasn’t changed one bit in the 21st century. But the pace of human life? It has accelerated dramatically. We now live in a world dominated by short-form content—15-second TikToks or Reels—designed to give us quick dopamine hits. So why would someone waste time on long, focused tasks?

Let’s go back a few hundred years for contrast.

From Ancient Hunters to Instant Likes

Our ancestors went hunting. After long waits, spotting prey would release dopamine in their brains—the excitement of securing food for the night. Dopamine guided them toward hard work and focus. That was the reward system in action.

But here’s the catch: our brains haven’t changed in thousands of years. The dopamine system is still the same. So in theory, we should only experience intense dopamine spikes after real accomplishments. But instead, we’re getting those same chemical highs from cheap, easy, and often meaningless tasks.

Why?

Because of a social paradox.

We live in a world of materialism and technological excess, where everything is changing rapidly. Now, overstimulation is available without effort. Sometimes, even without doing anything at all.

This is where the concept of "supernormal stimuli" comes in.

Supernormal Stimuli: Artificial Rewards That Bypass Reality

A supernormal stimulus is something that hijacks our brain’s reward system with artificial pleasure. For example, eating a fresh apple is a natural stimulus. Drinking a highly processed, preservative-filled apple juice that tastes better but offers less nutrition? That’s a supernormal stimulus.

Our modern world is full of such substitutes—designed to provide pleasure without the process.

Notice how today’s technologies are designed to make us act without thinking. Facebook, for instance, floods us with likes and comments, causing our brains to release dopamine. If we don’t get updates, we feel FOMO (fear of missing out). The platforms manipulate our dopamine levels through algorithms, marketing strategies, and psychological triggers.

And the result?

We become vulnerable. We lose focus. We become more anxious and dissatisfied.

The Rise of Dopamine Detox

But here comes the hopeful part.

More and more people are recognizing this dangerous cycle—and looking for a way out. Enter the now-popular trend: dopamine detox.

The idea is simple: reduce your dependence on technology to reduce constant dopamine surges. Ironically, this idea has gone viral on the very platforms it seeks to resist. The hashtag #DopamineDetox has over 20 million views on TikTok alone.

The principle is: the less you rely on technology, the less overstimulated your brain becomes.

But here’s the real question: How much can we truly reduce our dependence on technology in today’s world?

What Can We Do? The Answer May Be ‘Flow’

We need to be alive. Present. In what psychologists call the flow state—that rare mental space where the mind and body are completely connected. In flow, we become fully immersed in what we’re doing—deeply focused, alert, and at our best.

But flow doesn’t come easy. Sometimes, it requires stepping outside our comfort zones.

Still, pursuing flow and practicing a healthy lifestyle are more important now than ever before.

We must stay light-hearted but also conscious. When someone or something tries to manipulate our mind through clever tools or platforms, we must recognize it—and push back. That awareness is our responsibility. That’s how we reclaim focus.

Because at the end of the day, the truth remains:

“I am the captain of my ship.”