Dopamine fasting is the latest fad practiced in Silicon Valley so people can work like machines.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (from the same family as adrenaline) produced by the brain for a variety of purposes. This substance is associated with pleasure. However, it has various functions that are also connected to motivation, affectivity and motor control. Altered levels of dopamine levels are present in people with Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and drug addiction.
A new concept of fasting
When the brain is overstimulated, it secretes more dopamine than needed, making the brain tolerant to its effects.
Dopamine fasting (restriction of activities that promote the secretion of dopamine) interrupts overstimulation, allowing the body to break the addiction to dopamine. This in combination with regular activities increases the secretion of neurotransmitters. This dynamic can help increase productivity which benefits companies that are focused on overproduction.
The power of habituation
Habituation is a phenomenon necessary for survival. It is the decrease in the initial response to a stimulus due to its repeated presence. At first, a stimulus can have a strong effect. However, with repetition, it becomes less effective or stimulated. If the continuous repetition of the same stimulus is stopped, and later resumed, the reduced response returns again. The organism is able to rest from the repeated stimulus and considers it new when the stimulus resumes.
Sometimes we are productive at our body’s expense.
We tend to recreate activities that produce pleasurable stimuli from the brain, like sports for example.
Making assumptions about dopamine
Although some people in Silicon Valley think that they are subjecting their body to a dopamine fast, scientists do not have direct access to what the brain secretes. All they can do is deduce that a secretion is occurring.
When talking about dopamine fasting, many people insist that the effects are supported scientifically. In other words, assumptions are deduced from clinical observations made from the psychologist’s office.
Are health and productivity synonymous?
The concept of dopamine fasting manipulates habituation, detoxification and “enjoyment” (i.e. refraining from pleasurable activities in hopes to enjoy them more when they resume). Some examples of these activities are eating, using social networks (including refraining from contact with people) watching television, and sexual activity.
Behind the techniques of dopamine fasting, lies the objective of improving productivity of executives and people in technology companies who are very stressed and hyper connected to technology. Dopamine fasting as a “therapeutic” technique poses an ethical question: Is it used to improve an individual’s health or increase productivity of a company?
As much as organizational marketing strives to convince us otherwise, healthier workers are always more productive, but it is not as clear if they have good health. Productivity should not be confused with psychological well-being, and health should not be confused with the health of a company.
Dopamine fasting is stopping the activities that overstimulate brain activity. In doing this, a person feels rested, has more time for other activities, and is more focused at work.
Avoiding all sources of dopamine production
A BBC report about James Sinka, a 24-year-old who does dopamine fasting every three months, stated that when fasting, he focuses on reducing the stimuli of three different areas: environment, behavior and chemical effects. He does not listen to music, use electronic devices, or speak to anyone. He avoids artificial light, stops eating, and does not consume drugs or supplements.
Perhaps his dopamine levels would be normal if he lived more naturally (the opposite of living in a cave to avoid stimuli to be as productive as possible). His dopamine levels might be better if he engaged with people in his environment in a more normal way (i.e. meeting in person versus using social media). If he practiced a healthy lifestyle (eating and sleeping well and being organized orderly) he would not have to dopamine fast.
Everyone who consumes substances regularly, does not need to consider dopamine fasting to regulate their dopamine levels. So long as those individuals do not overly consume those substances, their dopamine levels will be normal.
Enjoying life naturally
We should appreciate the wonderful stimuli that life provides, knowing that stimuli are sometimes more pleasant in certain moments than others.
If you eat more fruit, you won’t have to take vitamins in a pill. The benefits of fasting and not speaking to people for three days with the objective of reprogramming dopamine levels are not based on concrete scientific evidence.
