Currently, the internet is flooded with various articles, videos, and podcasts claiming to help you "reset your brain's reward system" and "rediscover the joy of simple things in life." The core idea of these contents is that reducing the current level of stimulation can not only help you regain your focus but also improve your work efficiency.

This practice is called dopamine detox. Supporters believe that our tendency to get distracted and lack interest is because short - term rewards are too easily accessible. Social media, video games, junk food, online shopping, coffee, alcohol - these addictive temptations have overloaded the brain's dopamine reward system.

Constant stimulation has depleted dopamine levels, making it impossible for people to focus on truly important things and experience a deeper sense of satisfaction.

The basic concept of dopamine detox is to completely cut off all easy and quick pleasures for a period of time. Some detox programs suggest starting with one day and gradually extending it to several weeks. Allegedly, this can restore dopamine levels to a healthier state.

Advocates of dopamine detox have exactly tapped into the collective anxiety of modern people - in the face of the temptation of instant gratification, it seems increasingly difficult for us to maintain our attention. Whether it's being addicted to Netflix shows or playing games on our phones, people are worried that their focus is being eroded bit by bit. However, like many popular psychological trends, this view does contain some scientific basis, but it also oversimplifies and even offers a cartoonish interpretation of neuroscience.

The Function of Dopamine

Although dopamine is indeed related to the reward mechanism, it is an oversimplification to think that focus and happiness completely depend on it.

The role of dopamine is very complex and delicate. There are five different types of dopamine receptors in the brain, each with different functions. Simply put, dopamine mainly drives us to "crave" something, but it does not directly affect the pleasure we feel after obtaining it.

Many studies have shown that "craving" and "liking" are two different things. For example, in an experiment, neuroscientists blocked dopamine in the brains of rats. The results showed that although the rats' facial expressions and behaviors still indicated that they liked the food, they were less proactive in searching for it.

In addition, the brain's reward system is not solely dominated by dopamine. Chemicals such as endorphins and opioids also play important roles. Therefore, simply relying on abstaining from entertainment activities to "reset" dopamine levels will not make you happier.

In fact, there is a drug for treating Parkinson's disease - levodopa, which can directly increase dopamine levels in the brain. However, research has found that this does not make patients more focused or happier. This directly refutes the simplistic view that "dopamine detox can make people regain happiness."

However, this does not mean that an imbalance in dopamine levels has no effect. Long - term use of certain addictive substances (such as nicotine, marijuana, and opioids) does interfere with dopamine function, which in turn affects a person's psychological state. This indicates that disorders in the dopamine system may indeed impair a person's ability to experience happiness.

For example, studies have shown that long - term smokers are more likely to suffer from anhedonia, especially when quitting smoking. This may be because nicotine artificially raises dopamine levels, and the brain makes corresponding adjustments to adapt to this change. Once nicotine is quit, the brain's dopamine system will be imbalanced, making it difficult for individuals to obtain pleasure from other activities.

One method of smoking - cessation intervention is to encourage smokers to find healthier ways to activate the brain's reward system. From this perspective, it is not completely contrary to the concept of "dopamine detox," which also aims to re - balance the brain's reward system by reducing certain bad stimuli and replacing them with healthier alternatives (such as exercise and meditation).

However, the popular trend of "dopamine detox" is based on an unproven assumption - it believes that lifestyle habits such as social media and online shopping are reshaping our neural circuits like addictive drugs.

The problem is that this analogy does not hold. Although people are indeed worried about the impact of screen time and social media, their effects are far less than those of drugs that directly change the brain's chemical environment. There is currently no conclusive evidence that modern lifestyles can cause severe disorders in the dopamine system like drugs.

Is Dopamine Detox Really Effective?

Although the neuroscientific theory supporting dopamine detox is a bit far - fetched, is this practice beneficial to us? Part of the answer is quite intuitive - if you think you've eaten too much junk food, reducing your intake is obviously beneficial to your health.

The problem is that there is almost no scientific research to prove the specific effects of comprehensively abstaining from a series of stimulating activities (such as Instagram, online shopping, junk food). According to the standards of scientific research, ideally, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) should be conducted to compare the effects of "dopamine detox" with other strategies to see if there are indeed significant benefits.

Some studies have explored the impact of "digital detox," which means briefly staying away from smartphones and electronic devices. For example, a 2014 study compared two groups of preschool children: one group attended a nature camp where electronic devices were not allowed, and the other group continued to go to school normally and use electronic devices.

The results showed that the group of children who stayed away from electronic devices performed better in the emotion recognition test. The researchers speculated that this might be because they readapted to face - to - face real - life communication.

However, the scientific rigor of this study is questionable, so it is difficult to draw a definite conclusion. In addition, some studies have also focused on the stress - relieving effects of mindfulness retreats, and many practices of mindfulness retreats are similar to "dopamine detox."

Changing Habits, Not "Resetting Dopamine"

From the perspective of habit psychology, dopamine detox may indeed be helpful - but it is not directly related to "resetting dopamine."

Suppose you think you spend too much time on social media. Whenever you have free time, you subconsciously scroll through the screen non - stop. This behavior has become a habit - you do it almost without thinking.

The formation of habits depends on the repeated association between "cues" and "behaviors." In this case, the appearance of the phone may be the cue that triggers the habit.

If you want to break this habit, you can rely solely on willpower - whenever you want to scroll through your phone, you force yourself to resist. But this will be very difficult because you usually start scrolling unconsciously (this also applies to other behaviors you want to reduce, such as online shopping).

From this perspective, the method of "dopamine detox" may help you break these habits - completely abstaining from social media or other instant rewards so that the brain no longer has an automatic reaction to these stimuli.

There are also various "blocking" apps on the market that can help you reduce your dependence on these behaviors, weaken the cues that trigger habits, and make your behavior more conscious and less automatic.

However, this is not cutting - edge neuroscience, let alone "resetting" the brain's dopamine system. In essence, it is just a small trick to improve efficiency and lifestyle. It's worth a try, but it's not a panacea.

It should be noted that completely abstaining from a certain behavior may lead to a "rebound effect." For example, if you refrain from using TikTok for a week, when you reopen it, you may find it more stimulating and attractive than before, and it may even be more difficult to control.

Therefore, instead of completely quitting, you might as well try to set a reasonable reduction goal, such as reducing your usage time by 50%.

Most importantly, find a method that suits you. Why not conduct an experiment to see which method works best for you?