Dopamine social media reddit. social media tweaks for dopamine 2.

Dopamine social media reddit Let’s say you open Instagram, see a post stimulating your brain, and get a dopamine hit. I have done a dopamine detox, i have definitely reduced my screen time these past few months. I'm pretty sure you forgot social media (like reddit), sugar, and other forms of fast rewards on your list. Awareness is the first step towards change. I’ll try to make the post as short as possible. It's an oversimplification, but the benefits are real and verifiable. I draw, too, and I deleted my social media, too. Which is why social media often feels good while we're doing it but horrible as soon as we stop. 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. Chronic abuse of some "hard" drugs can burn out dopamine receptors, but a few weeks of abstention from social media isn't going to regrow your synapses. I found I got caught in a loop of scrolling through junk. 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. 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. Idk, I find it curious how ubiquitous it has become as I am inherently uninsterested in extremely short form content like that. But I have cut down almost half of my previous consumption. The more time you spend worrying and researching is time you could be spending actually doing something! Hobbies are impossible for me with social media apps installed. The problem with dopamine is that it gets us hooked on things that give us short-term gratification but not much else: cookies, alcohol and social media are all high in dopamine. A solution to this would be to call or text a friend to hang out, or to call a family member to catch up. Social media gives you dopamine hits. Satisfaction. Only by technicality. . 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). - 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. Do you have any recommendations for other apps that teach/help you & give that dopamine kick? Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. I also don't feel bad about scrolling social media a lot. 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. grad student)have been improved . e. When someone reads "Dopamine Detox", they will conclude i was a heavily social media and smartphone addict, like have my phone out is like as natural as blinking (because i feel it give me comfort from outer world), and then at that time i was have my period of lowest depression (i have manic depressive disorder) and i dont even have any energy to do anything even playing my phone, just sleeping or The one thing holding me back from being 99% efficient is social media use. ): All of a sudden, studying, exercising, and doing things I usually consider a pain in the ass, become much more appealing to me, and I actually become somewhat interested in them. Probably you smoke, this is also dopamine addiction. Try to limit the amount of “cheap” dopamine you get in the first half of the day. My dopamine has been on the high level the past two weeks particularly past week so it does feel somewhat burnt out. I’ll probably get social media like Facebook to only stay in touch with old family and not have the app on my phone. Breaking those muscle memory habits can help (at least at the start) to stop you in your tracks. I knew I had to retrain my brain to find satisfaction outside of endless scrolling. It’s a part of your brain’s reward system, meaning it helps you feel good when you do something enjoyable. This where you shut of from external sources of dopamine / behaviours like social media by setting time slot in the day to when you can do them. Help! 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 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. This ties together both points, on social media it’s anticipating something (highlight, funny, interesting, etc) which is reinforced through dopamine. 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. This is our first step to achieve the focus we deserve on our road to success. /r/neuro, involving neuroscience: Discussion and news pertaining to neurobiology, cognitive studies… on the flip side, make it hard as hell to open social media. Don’t use Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, Snap, etc. I love solving "problems/puzzles"; it's a key part of my ADHD, gives me a huge dopamine rush. At first I limited my screentime, lost interest in posting and interacting with multiple people, eventually I just deleted. Only problem is, every website you use sends cookies and your activity to Facebook. But the truth for most people is that constant small hits of dopamine (social media, porn or any form of quick fix media) is usually a bad thing as it desensitizes the brain to dopamine so when your brain gives you dopamine for something useful it won’t mean as much. When I quit social media I turned to Reddit. Not cutting out any dopamine related activity, as that’s ridiculous. I suggest you take a look into the father of "dopamine detox" Dr. I tried that challenge a few months ago actually. 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 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 Good thing about reddit (and other social medias to some extent) is you can curate what you are looking at. 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 I have tried doing the dopamine detox but I get very fidgety and irritable when I don’t have anything to constantly scroll through. 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. But now I’m realizing that I’m using it exactly how I did before— to escape. We anticipate some sort of reward with each one of those behaviors. (mind you it would be like 4 days backpacking, 1 day back with social media, then repeat), so maybe just need uninterrupted time. Social media is high reward and 0 effort, which kinda breaks the circuitry. After that, you get a low and experience cravings. I think one of the issues with social media is social comparison and judgement. From digital detoxes to the fad of “dopamine fasting”, it appears fashionable to abstain from digital media. 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 Suggest me some alternative source of dopamine other than social media and pornography. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked better than anything else I’ve tried. at all; my only form of current social media is Reddit. 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 realized I was drawing mostly for validation and the attention of strangers online. I am currently in college and i need to interact with the internet but my attention span os awful. After the 5 minutes the app closes. By changing those behaviors e. I’m only allowed to use social media for business and content creation purposes; I cannot use it for entertainment. Everytime I want to use one it gives a pop up asking me if I want to use this app for 5 minuten. Eg 4hrs of reddit becomes 2. I can show scientifically that cutting videogames, social media, etc improves focus. not spending all your free time glued to your social media feed your dopamine levels naturally rise. I’m getting increasingly jaded and demoralized the longer I stay on the internet. The only real pseudoscience involved is the idea that you can fast from dopamine. It doesn't attempt to meet the same needs as social media or a multi-function phone or game. our brains with unnaturally high amounts of dopamine on a daily basis, even if we don't know it. but also don't completely lock away your apps. I took a step back and realized that I have a severe social media addiction. I convinced myself I liked it, too. I’ve literally seen no one mention “fasting” from social interactions, food, exercise, etc. Also, try setting specific times for checking your feeds. Learn a song, paint a picture, reorganize your house, read a book, knit a hat, write a story, go for a hike, etc. you'll just get pissed off. 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. ive had enough and am ready to reclaim control of my time and stop squandering over three hours each day on distractions. I deleted TikTok and instagram again but kept Snapchat to talk to family. We have more experience navigating and managing our relationships with it than we do social media. Yes, you are addicted to dopamine. I am trying to get dopamine form hardwork. I just use one social media now (if you ignore reddit). 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. Just look at how social media is designed. Well, I want to add on that, unlike most social media platforms, Reddit seems to cater to (support) individuality, vs Instagram, which demonizes a post that isn’t “agorythimically” profitable. Or pick up chess. I then suddenly got sucked into using YouTube shorts for hours, then woke up wanting to scroll and then started jumping from one social media platform to another just to scroll; reels, tiktok. This release makes you feel good momentarily and makes you want to use social media more to keep getting those positive feelings. Those who know science can use dopamine for their own purposes. Here’s what helped: A 30-Day Detox: I started by cutting my screen time in half over the first two weeks. Reddit is a good example. Dopamine shows up in multiple neural pathways but the relevant one seems to be the reward pathways. this detox is my first step toward a life where I prioritize real, meaningful experiences over digital noise. These projects consume me, remove my urge to check social media and boost my self-esteem when completed. Halfway through September I came back to Snapchat, instagram, and TikTok because I went to college. You are just avoid a pleasure trigger. But regardless, it’s pretty simple. This controlled exposure can help you stay connected without it overwhelming your life. Start by simply being aware of how much time you're spending on social media. I’m not sure why but my mental health has improved a lot since I stopped using social media, I feel like I have so much more time to do things that I love. You need to "dopamine detox" in that you need to do a lot fewer high dopamine activities that are endless. **Substitute with Positive Digital Content**: Replace some social media time with educational content (but be careful that it's not just edutainment) 1. No social media. Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. 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. I use to be able to play chess for hours but i tried picking it up again because the dopamine from social media isn’t exactly neutral, social media apps want you to actually be addicted. Why It’s Addictive: Over time, your brain gets used to the frequent rush of dopamine from social media activity. I have a focus mode on my phone. It’s been proven even the stimuli produced by our phone screen lighting up is enough to have a big effect on dopamine. 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. Social Media and Dopamine: When you use social media your brain releases dopamine. Sepah and get real information on this topic far away from nutjobs like Huberman. However, there IS data supporting the idea that anticipation increases the pleasure you get from a reward. Some examples of high dopamine behaviors include: scrolling through social media websites, playing video games, watching internet pornography, etc. But I agree, you can definitely personalize social media to act the way you intend. You get notifications for things you’re not even mentioned in, which can lead to major FOMO, which leads to major depression. **Scheduled Social Media Time**: Instead of quitting cold turkey, allocate specific times for social media. The whole idea is replacing bad dopamine-releasing habits (video games, porn, drugs, etc) with good dopamine-releasing habits (reading, exercise, real social interactions, etc). My social media addiction has decreased immensely, I deleted the main platform I used about a month ago. This includes YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Discord, etc. 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). 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 You can try to find bigger satisfaction from new hobbies or crafts. As you accomplish this you will experience natural dopamine. You can quit your addiction with 2 steps: Quit everything you are addicted to. 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). The anonymity of Reddit stops it from being social, which allows us to make it more informational. Hello, we are H&B team. THis helps reset your dopamine levels back to normal, and will make you more sensitive to new forms of dopamine. Once I told myself, “You can do whatever you want, as long as it’s one of (list of things beneficial to your life like reading, exercising, friend/family time)”, I overcame my impulsivity towards high dopamine producing-unhealthy activities. Reading is already quite different from 3D activities because you are staring at a flat surface and rehydrating the pictures. Zoom fatigue aside, I keep craving a dopamine rush whenever I start a task that requires deep focus. This can help reduce the habit of random checks. it doesn’t happen just because social media is so awesome, it can be but it’s the intention of the companies to sell our attention for money/profit. Not counting anti-social media i. We will give out a step by step, informative guide on how to conquer our compulsion in just weeks. 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. 102K subscribers in the neuro community. I don't think either perspective are mutually exclusive - its just that Huberman is focusing on how symptoms of behavior manifest neurochemically whereas the other video is looking more at the societal causes. I was pretty good at using it sparingly until a few weeks ago. Force yourself to do 30 minutes of whatever you consider to be your hardest task for the day. Is there an antidote to our addiction to social media? Yes, a timeout -- at least for Sometimes we scroll through social media because we want to feel close to friends. the stakes aren’t the same ive made the decision to quit instagram and other reel-type social media for the next 30 days. I am pretty sure that social media, including Reddit, exacerbates my ADHD and has reduced me to a barely functional adult 53yo person. 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. g. It's pretty interesting that you'd mention manipulation because that's a central issue that The Social Dilemma explores. 0 . They run ads and in some cases follow pages for you. Jan 14, 2025 · That first hour in the morning is critical. At the beginning of 2023 I got off of social media for 9 months. It's like giving yourself a 'social media appointment' instead of constantly scrolling. This would be things like social media - tv - procrastination- your typical bad habits Stay away from what you use to bombard yourself with dopamine, and go for more long-form, educational content. /r/MCAT is a place for MCAT practice, questions, discussion, advice, social networking, news, study tips and more. 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. The same things we’re saying about social media are similar things said in the past about radio, TV, the computer, etc. The problem is that social media platforms are designing apps to stimulate the viewer, and the only way that continent gets views, algorithmically speaking is if they make a very stimulating piece of content, but not all content is stimulating, that something can be good, and not stimulating in terms of attention, span or high dopamine fixation Jan 9, 2025 · Right now, if you have indulged for a long time on doom scrolling, unhealthy food, social media, video gaming, etc. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, which helps with motivation, but is also used to measure the addictive potential of any behaviors or drugs. Sometimes we scroll social media because we feel anxious. I keep itching for some fun excitement that I might get from checking social media, chatting friends, or eating a sweet dessert, and not something I get from watching an hour-long technical lecture. I've done extensive travel backpacking with very limited social media and it wasn't enough. Reddit is such a quick dopamine fix it's now harder to enjoy more engaging things longer. Start with a Dopamine Detox, then maintain a Dopamine Fast. We are college students wanting to help our society to tackle the problem of social media over use. Music is just auditory stimulation. 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. 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. 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. Yes. i'm resetting my habits and reducing dopamine overload. It doesn’t even have to be social media. I agreed. It makes all or some apps grey. This also goes some way to explain depression and anxiety amongst addicts, normal dopamine levels of a user require way more dopamine to reach that feel good zone which their abuse of drugs or alcohol (or anything really) does reach! If the dopamine hit isnt huge, why might social media still pose a serious addiction threat? Dec 16, 2024 · However, you can make it much easier by regulating dopamine. Rhonda Patrick here. 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. It tries using its current digital environment to stimulate dopamine in the same way. Uninstalled all games from phone and Chromebook. Whenever I delete my apps for a few days, this feeling goes away. 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. -After an extended period of time goes by being deprived of my usual gluttonous meal of cheap dopamine (social media, porn, video games, etc. There are many solutions here, like taking a walk outside, drinking water, cleaning up, or doing a 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. Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing, by Andrew Kirby. I try to delete the apps during the week. The downside to dopamine, though, is clear: it can also generate undesirable addictions and cravings. Hard things first. I believe (I choose that word specifically) that audiobooks - especially combined with walking outside- are so very much more valuable that social media scrolling. Lasted for days. Stay strong brothers and sisters!! Tell someone you want to stop gaming and social media and ask them to hold you accountable. I am not glued to email or my phone for any reason but addiction. Understanding Dopamine: Dopamine is a chemical in your brain that plays a big role in feelings of pleasure and happiness. Ive attempted to detox from social media before and it’s not something I’ve been able to consistently finish. You scroll down. 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. 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!). 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. I used to go to FB groups for advice. There are a lot of instructional videos that are around 30 minutes, and it should be very difficult to pull dopamine from those. Distraction-Dopamine-Disruption: Our inclination to being distracted also comes down to neurobiology. Social media takes reading to the next level by also having you rehydrate social experiences without another actual human being present. your dopamine receptors are almost certainly downregulated. There are tons of studies on intentional boredom and the positive effects. The Reddit interface makes things far more mentally healthy for someone like me. 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. Dec 1, 2024 · Have you tried quitting social media cold turkey multiple times and it didn’t work? Then this post is for you. Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now. this, I still need my memes. See the Required Reading for more. My wife came to me and said she wants us to delete our facebooks and for me to stop playing games. Going through a divorce and have been using social media to deal. Yes, phones can have a huge effect on this. If you expose your brain to dopamine hits in that time period, you will kill your motivation and energy for the day and that's why you end up doom scrolling all day long. Deleting Social media was the best thing I’ve ever done, of course Reddit is a social media but I try to use it in helpful ways like asking question and searching answers to problems I have. To tackle this challenge, there are two key ideas you need to understand. I don't know how to mitigate this. Its really helping me to improve my focus levels and my ability to study for more long hours (i am engg. As a reminder, here are the rules of my dopamine fast: 1) No social media. I went as far as deleting all social media, (don’t consider Reddit social media). Trust me u r underestimating social media /YT/reddit addictions. Aug 22, 2024 · Explore how social media triggers dopamine release, its effects on behavior, and strategies to manage your screen time effectively. they literally they us this like once a year. Shit's toxic, so happy I got Facebook out of my life years ago. For me like if social media is that distracting to you and you're spending 10 hours a day on your phone, and it's starting to affect your grades and your mental health then that's a problem. 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. 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. I know that the idea of a dopamine detox it self is still a debated topic. Do it gradually, one thing at a time. 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. Cortisol comes largely from the comparison and argumentative aspects. Gaming is more mature as a medium. I can’t simply go cold Turkey on social media; it’s never completely worked in the past and i always end up reinstalling. For example, you could allow yourself to watch one 30 minute documentary during your meals. Hmm not sure this would be enough for me. 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. I’ve worked in media and technology for most of my career but currently have a non-online job. Jan 14, 2025 · So I decided to do something drastic: a dopamine reset. don't just download an eBook and hope and pray that you'll make the right decision. Social media is making me an extremely angry person. I set aside time at work to work on problems which may yield "interesting" results. 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) 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. Limit yourself to only a few hours of screen time a day, only if you do your homework, it's imperative that someone holds you accountable to be productive Title says it all. I've been doing the same lately. I struggled with gaming & social media addiction as well. I have a tiktok, reddit, twitter, and instagram account. Dec 1, 2024 · I think I l’m doing this currently with social media without realising. I've deleted all social media from my phone the past week. This is a support group to help with impulsive behaviour towards Eating, Gaming, Gambling, Thrill, and Tech. Or check it out in the app stores     TOPICS social media tweaks for dopamine 2. I’m 15 and I’m a football fan. fti ahtcmdm jmtdck nfmn bnqo xgspbw wgpp aefsxb xgzn thcfk ulhomlwk kcyvwxr dosu flis indgj