Dopamine detox has become popular as a self-care method on social media (SNS) and YouTube. The claim is that by cutting out stimulating activities such as binge eating, gaming, and infinite scrolling, dopamine secretion in the brain is reduced, which improves concentration and enhances quality of life.
Scientists have published research findings that directly refute the concept of dopamine detox. They state that dopamine is not only responsible for triggering happiness or pleasure but is also essential for risk avoidance learning. It should not be indiscriminately reduced, as it is involved in tasks critical for survival.
Talia Lerner, a professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, noted, "Dopamine is not just a happiness hormone released when doing pleasant activities; it is a crucial signal needed for learning how to recognize and avoid risks." The research findings were published in the international journal Current Biology on the 23rd.
The research team examined the functioning process of dopamine through experiments with rats. They played a specific sound for the rats and then repeatedly provided an unpleasant stimulus after a certain period. At the same time, if the rats moved to another area upon hearing the sound, no stimulus was given.
Later, when the sound occurred, the rats moved to the side that allowed them to avoid the stimulus. Learning had taken place. The researchers recorded dopamine signals in the nucleus accumbens, which is involved in motivation and learning, at this time.
Observations showed that at the beginning of the experiment, dopamine levels increased immediately when an unpleasant stimulus was approaching. As learning progressed, the dopamine response became more pronounced when the sound occurred before the stimulus. As the rats became adept at avoiding the stimulus, the dopamine response gradually diminished.
On the other hand, when the conditions were changed so that the rats could not avoid the stimulus no matter how much they moved, the dopamine signals reverted to the patterns seen at the beginning of learning. This implies that dopamine plays an important role in predicting the environment and adjusting behavior.
Many previous studies had indicated that dopamine also responds to danger signals or painful stimuli. This research revealed that dopamine responses are not merely immediate reactions to stimuli but can flexibly adjust over time and stages of learning.
Gabriela Lopez, the first author of the paper and a doctoral researcher, stated, "Dopamine is not only responsive to good or bad events but also involved in sensitively detecting and adapting to changes in situations," adding that viewing dopamine as merely something that needs to be reduced is overly simplistic. She criticized dopamine detox, saying, "Dopamine is an essential learning tool in our lives, and attempts to eliminate it entirely could be harmful."
The research team reports that changes in dopamine responses may also be linked to anxiety disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorders. If such symptoms exist, the brain may be overestimating risks, disrupting daily life, which may be due to abnormal functioning of dopamine signals.
Lopez indicated that, based on this research, they plan to further study dopamine responses related to chronic pain, depression, and addiction in the future.
References
Current Biology (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.006