Motivation and emotion/Book/2025/Dopamine fasting

We all know someone like Adam ... Adam works from home. He is good worker who strives to do his best at his job. But recently he has had a decrease in his performance and his boss is getting concerned. After he logs off work for the day his partner asks Adam all about his day, but gets little response. The constant noise, bright colours and flashing lights of his mobile phone holds Adams attention for most of the day, and its starting to affect his work, family and friendships. Adam decides enough is enough, he's seen a video on dopamine fasting, and he's starting today ...

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released in the brain which is essential in our decision making as individuals. However, it is also present in many brain processes such as the reward system and expectation, risk allocation, risk assessment and reinforced learning. Due to the involvement of dopamine in these processes, it acts as a driving element behind most of our daily decisions (Chong, T. T. J., 2018). In order to reduce reliance on certain behaviours and in some cases reduce addiction, some individuals attempt to reduce these reliances through the process of dopamine fasting. This process is derived from the understanding of operant conditioning and is completed by abstaining from specific stimuli which has previously been conditioned to release dopamine. It is theorised this causes individuals to become more mindful and produce dopamine from regular occurrences, reducing the need to gain dopamine from the previous conditioned stimuli (such as food, technology, games etc.) (Desai, D., et. al., 2024). Research into dopamine fasting could lead to the development of new strategies of dealing with psychological and mental health concerns such as addiction (Fei, Y. Y., et. al., 2022). However, adverse effects of dopamine fasting must also be considered to create effective and meaningful treatments.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released in the midbrain which is converted from the amino acid L-dopa from tyrosine (see figure 2.) (Solinas, M., et. al., 2019). Dopamine is responsible for many processes including but not limited to movement, memory function, and arousal. Studies have linked lack of dopamine with symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (Latif et. al., 2021). Additionally, studies have linked reduced dopamine levels with lowered mood and depression (Belujon & Grace 2017., Mizuno et. al., 2023). Most interestingly however, dopamine has been found to be responsible for motivation, attention, reward, and reinforcement (Klein, M. O., et. al., 2019).

This means that dopamine acts as one of the contributors to the happy feeling that we get when we engage in behaviours that cause the dopamine reward process. This also means that dopamine is used in establishing behaviours and the development of motivation to engage in those behaviours. With this understanding we can see that dopamine is also shown to be highly influential in the formation and continuation of addictive cycles (Solinas, M., et. al., 2019).

Dopamine can be released due to several forms of stimuli, most commonly however, is rewarding stimuli (Dresp-Langley, 2023). This refers to certain stimuli which the brain has connected with a positive outcome. This may look like associating the consumption of sweet foods with pleasant feelings. It is important to note however, that dopamine does not cause the happy feelings that are released while engaging with the stimuli, this is the role of serotonin and endorphins, but rather dopamine is released when the rewarding stimuli is a surprise or when a reward outcome is expected and is released after engaging with the stimuli. This may look like an individual completing a hard exercise. While they may not feel the rush of happiness or pleasure when doing the activity, they feel happy and accomplished after their workout due to dopamine release.  

Dopamine release can also be triggered from consumption of alcohol and other drugs. This form of stimulus can cause large spikes in dopamine release which increases pleasurable feelings drastically (Dresp-Langley, 2023). Through these large spikes and pleasurable feelings individuals develop strong cravings for these large dopamine releases. This causes the individual to seek to engage with the stimuli and circumstances that surround the stimuli more often. This might look like someone who takes an illicit drug and experiences a large dopamine rush, who then begins to take that drug more often and begin having increased social interactions with the people they take that drug with to increase the dopamine release.

Due to its involvement with reinforcement learning, dopamine can alter the likelihood and desire to engage in certain behaviours. Dopamine fasting involves the processes of operant conditioning which involves an individual linking a stimulus with a certain reward. When trying to understand this in context to dopamine fasting, we can refer to our Scenario with Adam, who has linked time on his phone with pleasurable feelings elicited from a dopamine release. This is because in his daily life, he has interacted with his phone, and received a dopamine release which elicits pleasurable feelings. This causes Adam to begin reaching for his phone more often as each time he engages with his phone, dopamine is released, reinforcing that his phone will cause pleasurable feelings. This basis also links into how addictive behaviours begin and are reinforced as each positive experience with a stimulus will reinforce the pleasurable emotions and motivations to engage in the behaviours again (Sayin, H., 2019., Dresp-Langley, 2023).

Dopamine fasting is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy technique developed by Dr Cameron Sepah in 2019. The technique is developed with the understanding of operant conditioning (see Figure 3). Dopamine fasting is achieved through the restriction of a target behaviour which is recognised as impulsive and detrimental to daily functioning. In restricting this behaviour, it allows the brain to restructure the cognitive processes, reducing the operant conditioning effect of the behaviour with the expected reward which is dopamine. This in turn promotes behavioural flexibility and impulse control as the individual explores other ways to trigger dopamine release, hopefully through more sustainable and beneficial behaviours (Fei, Y. Y., et. al., 2022).

This can look like an individual who indulges in high sugar food to boost feelings of happiness brought on by dopamine release, who chooses to stop buying sugary treats to keep in the house and every time they feel an impulse to eat sugar, they instead engage in mindful colouring. This diminishes the brain's cognitive link between sugar and dopamine and instead promotes more sustainable and flexible dopamine releases.

Dopamine fasting is enacted by three steps:

1. Identify the behaviour the individual wishes to limit or discontinue.
2. Limit access to the targeted behaviour including environmental aspects such as common places or people that are present when the behaviour is engaged.
3. Intentionally engage in safer and more meaningful tasks or activities that provide dopamine.

Through this process individuals are able to reduce the behaviour that they are targeting and extinction is encouraged (Bouton, 2019). As individuals engage less with the stimulus, or for more limited times, the dopamine spike is reduced, leading to feelings of diminished satisfaction. As the reward is reduced, and alternative behaviours are engaged which provide a higher dopamine spike, the targeted behaviour reward will reduce, decreasing motivation to engage with the targeted behaviour and increased motivation to engage with the alternative behaviours.

Due to this decrease and increase in motivation for certain behaviours, it is an essential step in the dopamine fasting process that individuals substitute the targeted behaviour with safe and meaningful behaviours. As the individual will be engaging with this behaviour frequently, it is important to ensure that they are not becoming dependent on a behaviour that can become harmful. Therefore it is often recommended that the individual has multiple activities they can engage in such as a variety of exercise, mindfulness and social engagement (Desai., et al., 2024).

Individuals will often have to “urge surf” which involves mindfulness techniques when urges to engage in the target behaviour arise. Instead of indulging in the behaviour. Individuals are encouraged to note the urge they are experiencing, acknowledge any feelings that they may feel about the urge, and emotions they may feel with not being able to engage with the urge. Following this moment of acknowledgement, individuals are encouraged to engage in a mindfulness activity that will allow for dopamine flow. This assists in reducing the likelihood of the individual to engage in the target behaviour and increases behavioural flexibility to find alternative dopamine releases.

Dopamine fasting has been recommended for only certain behaviours that are either addictive to the individual, or excessive to the point of disruption to daily life. These behaviours elicit spikes of dopamine and include:

With dopamine fasting only recently being proposed and researched, there is not a wide range of research to draw from. However, certain studies have suggested potential adverse effects to dopamine fasting. A study completed by Sevy et. al., (2006) found that reduction in dopamine levels often increased incidents of poor decision making and reward seeking behaviour. As examined by Fei et. al., (2022), dopamine fasting has been platformed and received largely by Silicon Valley (see Figure 4) with many individuals engaging with this technique with no professional guidance. This has led to self-report of poor mental health and dissatisfaction. However, researchers attribute some of these reports to individuals not understanding the technique of dopamine fasting accurately, with many individuals not seeking professional guidance and removing all dopamine rewards, rather than just dopamine rewards from a target behaviour. Researchers suggest there is high potential for increased satisfaction and positive outcomes from dopamine fasting as education of the technique is better understood with the involvement of mental health professionals to monitor and assist in building the plan for dopamine fasting.

Let's see what Adam is doing ... Adam decides that to reduce his distractions, he will place his phone on do not disturb during working hours. He also activates a 'bedtime' setting which dims his screen, turns off colour and mutes notifications from a set time. He finds he is fidgety and easily irritable at work, and still reaches for his phone sometimes. His partner is very happy however, as Adam has begun having more meaningful conversations a dinner and they finally watched the movie they have had on their list for weeks!

Dopamine fasting aims to reduce the conditioned response of a targeted behaviour through reducing engagement with the target behaviour and increasing engagement with healthier options in order to develop behavioural extinction of target behaviour. While individuals may experience feelings of anxiety or distress when first beginning dopamine fasting, individuals are able to develop their behavioural flexibility and emotional regulation as they engage in healthier dopamine releases as opposed to the heightened dopamine spikes from the target behaviour. If the target behaviour is slowly reintroduced (only where absolutely necessary such as mobile phone use), this will allow the individual to better control their urges to engage behaviour and reduce the dopamine spikes to the pre-conditioned response, allowing them to engage more mindfully and safely.

As individuals engage in healthier options for dopamine release, such as exercise over mobile phone use, individuals are able to trigger the release of dopamine without engaging in a self detrimental behaviour. As these healthier options are engaged with more and the target behaviour is engaged with less, the conditioned response of a large dopamine spike from the target behaviour is diminished slowly, leading to extinction. This means that the dopamine release is slowly reverted back to the levels they were pre-conditioning. However, studies have found that while extinction occurs, the condition response never truly goes away so there is increased risk in the individual relapsing and reinstating the conditioned response (Alfaro, F., et. al., 2022).

Theoretically, if individuals can reach behavioural extinction of the target behaviour and engage in new healthier options, engagement with the targeted behaviour will be reduced to a more normative level (compared to peers who do not have excessive habits in this behaviour). This can allow the individual aim to develop habituation of the conditioned response through healthy and regulated engagement with the target behaviour (Hall, G., & Rodríguez, G., 2017).

Studies have found that while initial phases of dopamine fasting, being the initial abstinence of the target behaviour, may elicit negative emotions, the longer term outcomes are much more positive. Multiple studies have found that the initial phases of abstinence from addictive behaviours can lead to feelings of increased frustration, anger, anxiety and depression (Giorgi, I., et, al, 2015., Ottonello, M., et. al., 2019., Li, Y., et. al., 2023). As dopamine fasting involves reduced or completed abstinence from behaviours that provide large dopamine spikes, the emotions as listed above are often expected. However, through engaging with alternative behaviours, individuals are able to develop emotion regulation skills and begin to experience more positive emotions. Mosquera, et. al., (2020) found that students who abstained from Facebook for just one week reported decreased levels of depression and increased engagement with healthier activities compared to their counterparts who continued their usual Facebook engagement.

Test your knowledge! 1 Adam is most likely easily frustrated at work because ... He is experiencing some adverse effects of dopamine fasting He is sick of his boss calling him Dopamine fasting only works for drug use He is "urge surfing" 2 Dopamine fasting involves avoiding all forms of dopamine False True

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released in the brain which is responsible for motivation, attention reward and reinforcement, all of which play essential roles in the development of addictive behaviours. Dopamine Fasting in a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy technique which aims to reduce addictive behaviours through abstinence of targeted behaviours which cause dopamine spikes. Through abstaining from these behaviours, the cognitive connection between the target behaviour and to dopamine spike reward is diminished, eventually leading to a reduction in the motivation to engage in the target behaviour. While initial studies in dopamine fasting seem positive, individuals usually attempt to engage in this technique without professional guidance and miss important steps, leading to adverse effects. However, with proper guidance, dopamine fasting has the potential to be a very effective tool in reducing addictive behaviours and increasing behavioural flexibility and emotional regulation of individuals.

Dopamine and decision making (Book chapter, 2024)

Dopamine and learning (Book chapter, 2024)

Alcohol, dopamine, motivation, and emotion (Book chapter, 2024)

Dopamine and motivational drive (Book chapter, 2021)

Dopamine fasting (Wikipedia)

Dopamine (Wikipedia)

• The definitive guide to dopamine fasting 2.0: the hot silicon valley trend (medium.com)
• Dopamine fasting: misunderstanding science spawns a maladaptive fad (Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School)
• Dopamine: The pathway to pleasure (Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School)