A bit of chocolate here, a few minutes on Instagram there – these daily rituals bring us little boosts of happiness. But only in the short term. Sooner or later, feelings of overstimulation and stress start to creep in. — Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa
BERLIN: What do you do while sitting in a doctor's waiting room? Or after settling into a train seat on your commute home from work? Or standing at the kitchen stove as the noodle water creeps towards a boil?
If you're like many people, you reach for your smartphone to check the latest on social media. From a psychological standpoint, it's an easily explicable behaviour: Video snippets are entertaining and ever-ready diversions. They give you a quick hit of happiness, but it quickly subsides.
Responsible for this is the "feel-good" chemical messenger dopamine, a key component of the brain's reward system, explains Dr Steffen Häfner, a specialist in psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy. Its release reinforces behaviours favourable for survival, reproduction and well-being, such as eating, sex and social interactions.
A between-meal chocolate bar or cup of coffee also provide a dopamine fix.
So what's wrong with pleasurable feelings? Well, too much of a good thing can be bad for you – ask a chocolate lover. As for smartphone use, subjecting your brain to lots of stimuli can lead to overstimulation, "the release of large amounts of dopamine potentially heightening psychological stress, unease or difficulty concentrating," Häfner says.
When you reach the satiation point, your brain needs greater amounts of stimuli to get the kick it craves, "similar to an addiction mechanism," as Häfner describes it.
A possible sign of overstimulation is reluctance to put away your smartphone in favour of, say, playing a time-consuming board game or watching a feature-length film. Activities like these don't give you a quick dopamine kick and therefore lack appeal.
So what's the way out of overstimulation towards a healthy balance? "Dopamine detox." It's not about abstaining from pleasurable activities, but rather reducing stimuli so that your nervous system can relax again. Here are four ways to do it:
- Cut down on your evening screen time, or eliminate it altogether.
- Deactivate push notifications.
- Don't always listen to podcasts or music while you're doing something else, but focus on them.
- Above all, incorporate "analogue" activities into your day, such as reading, painting or taking walks.
Should you keep catching yourself seeking a quick dopamine kick by eating sweets, drinking coffee or shopping online, you can refrain from these things for a while.
As difficult as it may be in the beginning, it'll pay off if you stick to it. You'll find that your powers of perception sharpen again, and pleasure doing everyday things will return. Handling stimuli mindfully, Häfner says, can help reduce stress and boost your psychological resilience. – dpa
