What 3 days off mindless consumption and social media did to me - a podcast by Foo Podcasts

So I’ve spent the past three days disconnected from any social media and messaging apps as well as abstained from watching any shows, youtube videos, whatnot. The reason for that is that recently I noticed that I almost get physical discomfort when I don’t check my phone frequently and that sometimes I waste my whole day away when I have a growing pile of tasks to do and also a looming deadline for my thesis. I checked my screentime stats and on one day i actually spent a whopping 10 hours on twitter. what on earth is there even to look at on twitter for 10 hours?! needless to say i got nothing done that day. 


I then stumbled across a video on something called dopamine detox. Now, after some research it turns out it is frankly based on some sort of pseudo science, someone just spitballed this based on some science experiments with lab rats. However, their explanation still kind of rang true in my ears. Basically the rats received light, but constant dopamine stimulation if they pressed a button. Dopamine is basically some stuff in your brain that plays a role in feeling pleasure. Now, the rats liked it so much they would not stop pressing the button and even forgo eating and sleeping. However, if you put food in their mouths they would eat. And boy if I tell you I could relate to that freaking rat! Just laying in my bed, scrolling mindlessly and chasing interaction after interaction for hours on end. 


The video then suggested a dopamine detox. Basically their theory is to let those dopamine receptors in your brain recover from the constant transmission, get properly bored, and then feel joy in doing other, more meaningful things. The “process” they outlined was pretty extreme though – you would not be allowed anything that brings you pleasure at all, not just social media and phone time, but also music and food and other stuff I forgot because I didn’t really care
lol

Further episodes of Designer or Artist in a Digital World

Further podcasts by Foo Podcasts

Website of Foo Podcasts