Dopamine social media reddit. Sometimes we scroll social media because we feel anxious.

Dopamine social media reddit My social media addiction has decreased immensely, I deleted the main platform I used about a month ago. Group for the discussion on the new emerging field of Neurophilosophy and of those working in this field ( Churchlands) , as well as on the intersections between neuroscience ,philosophy, behavior, and other related fields - strated removing social media apps from my phone a few weeks ago - started detoxing 3 days ago My advice to you is, just do it. I have a tiktok, reddit, twitter, and instagram account. I’m getting increasingly jaded and demoralized the longer I stay on the internet. Social media is high reward and 0 effort, which kinda breaks the circuitry. Reading is not as rewarding anymore so it makes it hard to focus. You need to "dopamine detox" in that you need to do a lot fewer high dopamine activities that are endless. I tried that challenge a few months ago actually. ive made the decision to quit instagram and other reel-type social media for the next 30 days. All addiction recovery processes require discipline and strength to endure withdrawal symptoms. I draw, too, and I deleted my social media, too. i'm resetting my habits and reducing dopamine overload. It helps regulate movement, emotion, pleasure and reward. I see a lot of Reddit posts from users that try to quit caffeine, sugar, porn, social media, Netflix, artificial sweeteners all at once because you've seen this Dopamine Detox trend. Awareness is the first step towards change. Stay strong brothers and sisters!! Hobbies are impossible for me with social media apps installed. My dopamine has been on the high level the past two weeks particularly past week so it does feel somewhat burnt out. Which is why social media often feels good while we're doing it but horrible as soon as we stop. Add the double whammy of not liking staples of the tiktok genre seemingly like the music on videos for no reason and that infuriating text to speech shit, and I actively hate almost every single one I've ever seen or been sent by friends. your dopamine receptors are almost certainly downregulated. I have been trying to stay away from the above-mentioned things and focus on my work, but there are times when my brain is just exhausted from work and I need a break and eventually end up installing Instagram or watching porno. I think one of the issues with social media is social comparison and judgement. We will give out a step by step, informative guide on how to conquer our compulsion in just weeks. In one of the few experimental studies in the field, researchers have found that quitting social media for up to four weeks does nothing to improve our well-being or quality of life. at all; my only form of current social media is Reddit. It’s a part of your brain’s reward system, meaning it helps you feel good when you do something enjoyable. This would be things like social media - tv - procrastination- your typical bad habits Only by technicality. this, I still need my memes. Breaking those muscle memory habits can help (at least at the start) to stop you in your tracks. I've deleted all social media from my phone the past week. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, which helps with motivation, but is also used to measure the addictive potential of any behaviors or drugs. Social media gives you dopamine hits. I thought if I would commit to no social media for the day, I might as well commit to the whole nine yards. I will be having a few amazing days of enjoying my hobbies and engaging with my interests and then think to myself, "Wow! I've fixed myself! I can redownload social media; it will be different this time!" Plot twist Tell someone you want to stop gaming and social media and ask them to hold you accountable. You scroll down. Its really helping me to improve my focus levels and my ability to study for more long hours (i am engg. Social media is making me an extremely angry person. I took a step back and realized that I have a severe social media addiction. I set aside time at work to work on problems which may yield "interesting" results. Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. This controlled exposure can help you stay connected without it overwhelming your life. But I have cut down almost half of my previous consumption. A solution to this would be to call or text a friend to hang out, or to call a family member to catch up. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked better than anything else I’ve tried. The only real pseudoscience involved is the idea that you can fast from dopamine. It's all of these former social media engineers, execs, ethicists, and experts speaking out about how they inadvertently unleashed AI algorithms that have taught themselves how to hijack our minds and thoughts and even actions, and how that technology has allowed for If it were easy, everyone would do it. When I'd normally be on social media, I'm now learning 2 languages - naturally my ADHD brain won't let me do just one. Eg 4hrs of reddit becomes 2. Just look at how social media is designed. People are absolutely addicted to using their phones all day, every day, doing nothing but mindless browsing of social media, reddit, youtube, and other easy-access dopamine fixes. I convinced myself I liked it, too. Gaming is more mature as a medium. I am very addicted to music, social media, masturbation and overall instant gratification. our brains with unnaturally high amounts of dopamine on a daily basis, even if we don't know it. The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is offered by the AAMC and is a required exam for admission to medical schools in the USA and Canada. There are many solutions here, like taking a walk outside, drinking water, cleaning up, or doing a So while I don't think that "Dopamine Detox" is a valid scientific term, it still frames (in the reader's mind) critical goals for addiction therapy- which is recovering dopamine sensitivity to behaviors that are outside of the addict's addiction of choice (in this case, social media). I can show scientifically that cutting videogames, social media, etc improves focus. This can help reduce the habit of random checks. Jan 14, 2025 · So I decided to do something drastic: a dopamine reset. The ideas that come from audio books combined with the acts of walking are probably a 1+1=3 , at least it is for me. I knew I had to retrain my brain to find satisfaction outside of endless scrolling. I’ll try to make the post as short as possible. See the Required Reading for more. I suggest you take a look into the father of "dopamine detox" Dr. We anticipate some sort of reward with each one of those behaviors. It begins with an action, such as posting a photo or status update, which creates anticipation for a response. It's an oversimplification, but the benefits are real and verifiable. I can’t simply go cold Turkey on social media; it’s never completely worked in the past and i always end up reinstalling. We are college students wanting to help our society to tackle the problem of social media over use. This ties together both points, on social media it’s anticipating something (highlight, funny, interesting, etc) which is reinforced through dopamine. At first I limited my screentime, lost interest in posting and interacting with multiple people, eventually I just deleted. After the 5 minutes the app closes. This includes YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Discord, etc. I need to feel at my absolute best in 24 hours from now for a presentation at work to the CFO that I was just notified about What would you recommend I do. It's pretty interesting that you'd mention manipulation because that's a central issue that The Social Dilemma explores. Feb 10, 2024 · However, the activation of Dopamine-based reward pathways doesn’t tell the whole story of why social media is so addictive; reward prediction errors and variable reward schedules are what really The downside to dopamine, though, is clear: it can also generate undesirable addictions and cravings. I'd recommend checking out Burt's "structural holes", studying how information is communicated within networks, and then thinking about how the nature of social media mediates or moderates those exchanges -> the impact on social structure, power, authority, and so on. Halfway through September I came back to Snapchat, instagram, and TikTok because I went to college. When someone reads "Dopamine Detox", they will conclude on the flip side, make it hard as hell to open social media. This release makes you feel good momentarily and makes you want to use social media more to keep getting those positive feelings. The same things we’re saying about social media are similar things said in the past about radio, TV, the computer, etc. There's a bunch of stuff that comes up from "dopamine scrolling" but I would take all of it with a grain of salt and consider who's writing it and whether they're trying to sell you something. Hmm not sure this would be enough for me. Force yourself to do 30 minutes of whatever you consider to be your hardest task for the day. Basically, your reward center decides when to release dopamine by the things that are biologically "good" such as good and sex, and also from environmental training, like social media, porn, tv, praise and validation. Try to limit the amount of “cheap” dopamine you get in the first half of the day. Board game night with friends is allowed. I’m super addicted to social media, nothing feels as rewarding and dopamine-inducing as scrolling through social media. Start by simply being aware of how much time you're spending on social media. I am currently in college and i need to interact with the internet but my attention span os awful. I think I'm a more interesting person to others when I spend more time on meaningful activities (work, exercise, reading, hobbies) and less time doing mind numbing dopamine seeking activities (social media, TV). Title says it all. I am pretty sure that social media, including Reddit, exacerbates my ADHD and has reduced me to a barely functional adult 53yo person. At the beginning of 2023 I got off of social media for 9 months. Music is just auditory stimulation. Some examples of high dopamine behaviors include: scrolling through social media websites, playing video games, watching internet pornography, etc. Ive attempted to detox from social media before and it’s not something I’ve been able to consistently finish. As a reminder, here are the rules of my dopamine fast: 1) No social media. but also don't completely lock away your apps. find a tool that adds friction to opening your apps (I use superhappy ai, it makes me chat with an ai before I can open In case you don’t know what dopamine detoxes are, they’re just two weeks where you don’t allow yourself any easy dopamine sources like Netflix/tv, YouTube, video games, junk food, social media, drugs (aside from prescribed). this detox is my first step toward a life where I prioritize real, meaningful experiences over digital noise. Trust me u r underestimating social media /YT/reddit addictions. For me, one way I’ve been able to minimize my time on reddit while also feeling like I’m getting value is reduce the amount of videos in your feed. Whenever I delete my apps for a few days, this feeling goes away. I’m 15 and I’m a football fan. /r/MCAT is a place for MCAT practice, questions, discussion, advice, social networking, news, study tips and more. I went as far as deleting all social media, (don’t consider Reddit social media). Yes. Understanding Dopamine: Dopamine is a chemical in your brain that plays a big role in feelings of pleasure and happiness. I used to go to FB groups for advice. From digital detoxes to the fad of “dopamine fasting”, it appears fashionable to abstain from digital media. But now I’m realizing that I’m using it exactly how I did before— to escape. . Sometimes we scroll social media because we feel anxious. ive had enough and am ready to reclaim control of my time and stop squandering over three hours each day on distractions. Dopamine shows up in multiple neural pathways but the relevant one seems to be the reward pathways. The dopamine feedback loop in social media is a complex mechanism that keeps users coming back for more. The Reddit interface makes things far more mentally healthy for someone like me. Top reasons for my ADHD brain being stuck on social media: Dopamine-seeking (solution: shop from my “healthy dopamine list” for something that catches my attention and hyperfocus on that instead of my phone) Burrowing to avoid difficult emotions (solution: find a safe place/person to express and process the emotions) **Scheduled Social Media Time**: Instead of quitting cold turkey, allocate specific times for social media. I use my phone on average 6 hours a day, and all I do is browse/watch/scroll on Youtube, Reddit, Netflix, and Instagram. There are a lot of instructional videos that are around 30 minutes, and it should be very difficult to pull dopamine from those. Social Media and Dopamine: When you use social media your brain releases dopamine. This combined with the lack of stopping cues in social media presents as someone who can’t “focus” or “break away” to do important tasks. I have a focus mode on my phone. The anonymity of Reddit stops it from being social, which allows us to make it more informational. Cortisol comes largely from the comparison and argumentative aspects. As you accomplish this you will experience natural dopamine. I am currently on dopamine detox, i've disable all my social media , restricted my screen time to 1hr ,no short content , no PMO, started meditation and workout. Uninstalled all games from phone and Chromebook. THAT WILL NOT WORK. I’ll probably get social media like Facebook to only stay in touch with old family and not have the app on my phone. ONLY when I deleted social media did I realize most of the subjects I was drawing was purely for validation because I knew what my followers wanted and liked. This is our first step to achieve the focus we deserve on our road to success. Here’s what helped: A 30-Day Detox: I started by cutting my screen time in half over the first two weeks. Sometimes we scroll through social media because we want to feel close to friends. It makes all or some apps grey. After that, you get a low and experience cravings. I have tried doing the dopamine detox but I get very fidgety and irritable when I don’t have anything to constantly scroll through. When we accomplish something or feel happy, that’s our brain releasing dopamine, which makes us feel good and motivated to keep going. My problem is that I over do short term pleasure activities like watching social media, scrolling all day then hopping on youtube or just watching football games on TV. Shit's toxic, so happy I got Facebook out of my life years ago. The 'fast' dopamine release we get from things like scrolling on social media or binging on shows is vastly different from the more natural, gradual dopamine release we experience when participating in sports, engaging in social interactions, or immersing ourselves in a hobby. So, I've decided to do a cold turkey dopamine detox. /r/neuro, involving neuroscience: Discussion and news pertaining to neurobiology, cognitive studies… Oct 29, 2021 · Upon signing off, the brain is plunged into a dopamine-deficit state as it attempts to adapt to the unnaturally high levels of dopamine social media just released. We have more experience navigating and managing our relationships with it than we do social media. I love solving "problems/puzzles"; it's a key part of my ADHD, gives me a huge dopamine rush. e. The social media dopamine cycle becomes muscle memory (sometimes I've been doing it for 10 minutes or more before I realise what I'm doing and haven't taken a thing in!). Stay away from what you use to bombard yourself with dopamine, and go for more long-form, educational content. Or pick up chess. Satisfaction. This is a support group to help with impulsive behaviour towards Eating, Gaming, Gambling, Thrill, and Tech. No social media. I think the issue with social media and video games is that it’s an endless stream of novel stuff, so your brain just wants more and over several hours you are depleting dopamine that could be Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now. Rhonda Patrick here. Reading is already quite different from 3D activities because you are staring at a flat surface and rehydrating the pictures. I just use one social media now (if you ignore reddit). I’ve worked in media and technology for most of my career but currently have a non-online job. Do you have any recommendations for other apps that teach/help you & give that dopamine kick? You can’t replace internet porn with low stimulus activities but you can replace addictive habits like scrolling reddit/social media/tv with some of these. grad student)have been improved . i will not But because the dopamine system/reward system is stimulated by many things that were supposed to bring us survival advantage but also were linked to hard work - social interactions (in real life), food (that we were "hunting for"), getting other types of rewards - and the system was "hacked" with "easy pleasures" - and no hard work - these Yes it is beneficial to avoid social media if you spend too much time there, but this doesnt mean you detox your dopamine levels. It's like giving yourself a 'social media appointment' instead of constantly scrolling. I’m only allowed to use social media for business and content creation purposes; I cannot use it for entertainment. SCHEDULED and ACTIVE media consumption is allowed like scheduled watching 1 movie a day, or listening to music. I’ve pretty much completely quit most social media-I allow myself 5 minutes of Instagram a day on my laptop, and moderate it using the “Stayfocusd” extension and adhere to it very strictly. Suggest me some alternative source of dopamine other than social media and pornography. There are tons of studies on intentional boredom and the positive effects. Aug 22, 2024 · The Social Media Dopamine Loop: How It Works. Dopamine detox is a cool 24 hour or 48 hour challenge you can do. No social media, no TV, no video games, no junk food, no music etc. 0 . Don’t use Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, Snap, etc. Sepah and get real information on this topic far away from nutjobs like Huberman. PASSIVE mindless consumption is NOT allowed: ie scrolling social media platforms, binge watching netflix/youtube/twitch. Those who know science can use dopamine for their own purposes. I used to be very active on social media but now I have deleted every app except Reddit (although I lately find myself getting addicted to Reddit too lol). 24 or 48 hours will not reset your brain just because you stared at a wall. To tackle this challenge, there are two key ideas you need to understand. I went to bed last night and decided I wouldn't look at my phone first thing in the morning. No video games, uninstall to help against temptation. I realized I was drawing mostly for validation and the attention of strangers online. I am trying to get dopamine form hardwork. It doesn't attempt to meet the same needs as social media or a multi-function phone or game. Start with a Dopamine Detox, then maintain a Dopamine Fast. My wife came to me and said she wants us to delete our facebooks and for me to stop playing games. Most of the time the pop up is enough because I realise that I wasn't going to go on social media is was going to check my email 🤷 The #1 social media platform for MCAT advice. I just interviewed Andrew Huberman on why you shouldn't rely on stimulants (like nicotine) when lacking motivation, the dangers of spiking dopamine without effort, his workout & supplement routines, using NSDR to boost dopamine, and how he handles social media backlash. I believe (I choose that word specifically) that audiobooks - especially combined with walking outside- are so very much more valuable that social media scrolling. Let’s say you open Instagram, see a post stimulating your brain, and get a dopamine hit. Jan 9, 2025 · Right now, if you have indulged for a long time on doom scrolling, unhealthy food, social media, video gaming, etc. Is there an antidote to our addiction to social media? Yes, a timeout -- at least for So apparently Social Anxiety is thought to be best treated by raising Dopamine, as well as GABA, the former being the reason MAOIs like Nardil are so considered good for the condition, and the latter why Benzos and Alcohol work well. Jan 17, 2025 · Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that sends messages between nerve cells. You could even look at how the technology itself affects these things. per my phone statistics, i spend approx 16 hours on these social media apps 🙂 it's gotten to the point where i could be listening to a youtube video on my laptop while simultaneously scrolling through my Good thing about reddit (and other social medias to some extent) is you can curate what you are looking at. (mind you it would be like 4 days backpacking, 1 day back with social media, then repeat), so maybe just need uninterrupted time. Also, try setting specific times for checking your feeds. Or check it out in the app stores     TOPICS social media tweaks for dopamine 2. Everytime I want to use one it gives a pop up asking me if I want to use this app for 5 minuten. I can’t allow myself to be bored anymore the moment the thoughts start forming I immediately reach for my phone. **Substitute with Positive Digital Content**: Replace some social media time with educational content (but be careful that it's not just edutainment) 1. You are just avoid a pleasure trigger. you'll just get pissed off. I think there are a lot of benefits to silence, as you may find on a meditation retreat, but music is definitely not on the same level as social media or phone addiction. I spend way too much time on the internet just absolutely despising everyone, and it’s not that I’m some asocial curmudgeon, people are actually despicable and detestable all across the internet. Help! Idk, I find it curious how ubiquitous it has become as I am inherently uninsterested in extremely short form content like that. I deleted TikTok and instagram again but kept Snapchat to talk to family. I've done extensive travel backpacking with very limited social media and it wasn't enough. Top reasons for my ADHD brain being stuck on social media: Dopamine-seeking (solution: shop from my “healthy dopamine list” for something that catches my attention and hyperfocus on that instead of my phone) Burrowing to avoid difficult emotions (solution: find a safe place/person to express and process the emotions) When I quit social media I turned to Reddit. Distraction-Dopamine-Disruption: Our inclination to being distracted also comes down to neurobiology. I was successful. 102K subscribers in the neuro community. So you take away the sources of this dopamine spike by deleting social media but unfortunately, your brain is still craving these quick dopamine surges, so it seeks it elsewhere. The more time you spend worrying and researching is time you could be spending actually doing something! Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing, by Andrew Kirby. **Scheduled Social Media Time**: Instead of quitting cold turkey, allocate specific times for social media. I am not glued to email or my phone for any reason but addiction. While social media is vastly more complex, I don't think it's a surprise that we're replicating a lot of the same language we've used to talk about video games in the past to talk about social media today. Social media takes reading to the next level by also having you rehydrate social experiences without another actual human being present. It tries using its current digital environment to stimulate dopamine in the same way. I agreed. The problem is that social media can be an addictive problem for people which can lead to dopamine sensitivity which lowers the baseline production of dopamine like in most other addictions. don't just download an eBook and hope and pray that you'll make the right decision. Hello, we are H&B team. Children raised with ipads and smartphones who browse tailored content that has been designed to get them addicted to viewing it will suffer the most from this. Do you have any recommendations for other apps that teach/help you & give that dopamine kick? I doubt social media really spikes your dopamine that high - I’m guessing it just consumes it at a moderate rate but over a longer period of time. Dec 1, 2024 · Have you tried quitting social media cold turkey multiple times and it didn’t work? Then this post is for you. For example, you could allow yourself to watch one 30 minute documentary during your meals. Not counting anti-social media i. nfmmdyq voyrk iwpv zzhpnsof izpa sgo qchxsv fkejz mel fgao rwjwhc tayt gfron xaw hvgr