The Low Dopamine Morning Isn’t Necessarily the Life Hack You Need
Photo by Jason Hawke via Unsplash
Everyone loves a good life hack, and social media is full of them — hot girl walks, quiet quitting, the 75 Hard challenge, to name a few. But as with a lot of things on social media, the promise is usually better than the reality.
One of the trends taking over my For You page on TikTok is the “low dopamine morning.” If you haven’t seen this, the underlying message of the low dopamine morning is to wake up early and “detox” from dopamine (the pleasure hormone) to ensure “success” throughout the day. Dopamine is released when you do something that makes you feel good, so if you “reduce” dopamine production in the morning, you'll be more in control of your impulses and attention throughout the day.
The trend takes many shapes on TikTok: waking up at 4 am, limiting any pleasurable activities like drinking caffeine, talking to people, and even listening to music in the morning.
Do these activities lower dopamine in the morning? And more importantly, is dopamine’s role in the body so harmful that we should halt its production?
Can You Really Have a Low Dopamine Morning?
The short answer is no, you cannot have a low dopamine morning – but let’s unpack the why.
Low dopamine mornings are based on the “dopamine fast” coined by the clinical psychologist Cameron Sepah, PhD, who initially developed it to address compulsive and addictive behavior. The idea is for the person struggling with addiction or compulsion to “fast” or reduce stimulation to allow the brain to take a break.
But the name is confusing because, scientifically, you cannot lower your dopamine levels. Dopamine rises when you do pleasurable activities, but it doesn’t decrease when you reduce stimulating activities. In an interview with the New York Times, even Dr. Sepah admitted that the name sounded catchy and isn't based on science.
I’ve seen some routines that take the low dopamine mornings way too far – and I worry the fad has been completely misunderstood. If these rigid routines work for you and your lifestyle, then great. But it’s important to remember that engaging in such restrictive and extreme behavior can actually be counterproductive in reducing stress and stimulation and can lead to rigidity and obsessive behaviors that actually harm your mental health rather than help it.
As if the name isn’t misleading enough (sorry, Dr. Sepah), dopamine production is critical for physiological health. This powerhouse hormone affects memory, cognition, sleep, mood, learning, and motivation. Even though there can be too much of a good thing, there can also be problems when there isn’t enough.
Can It Be Therapeutic?
Trends like the low dopamine morning are a new way of packing up pre-existing ideas. The aim is to create healthy habits, though they miss the mark. Habits should be flexible, not rigid and restrictive.
Ironically, the idea behind these sometimes harmful fads is informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – a popular type of therapy that many therapists use, myself included. When looking at behaviors and reaching goals, CBT doesn’t say to restrict pleasurable activities; instead, it’s centered around replacing harmful compulsions with healthy habits. The key words here are healthy habits. It’s about replacing what isn’t working for you and finding something that does.
One of the more commonly used CBT techniques is behavioral activation. Behavioral activation is about engaging in positive and pleasurable activities regularly because it’s beneficial for improving mood and reducing vulnerability toward symptoms of mood disorders.
So giving the brain a break from stimulation might be helpful for some people, but behavioral activation may work for others – the important thing is finding an effective routine for yourself.
Understanding Effective (and Healthy) Habits
By nature, habits are automatic responses to internal or external cues and are reinforced by some reward. If you’re used to waking up and scrolling through your phone, waking up and writing in your journal isn’t going to come naturally until you have done it over and over and you see the benefit.
The old adage says that building new habits takes 21 days. The reality is that habit formation varies drastically from person to person – one study found that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for people to feel like their newly formed habit has become automatic. Habits exist in our brains' neural pathways; everyone's brains are different, which is why there's no one-size-fits-all.
Some people need slow mornings without distractions to feel ready for the day while others need that initial boost of dopamine to even stay awake and get out of bed. The key is finding habits and routines that fit your lifestyle and specific needs.
If you’re feeling stuck in unhealthy routines, brainstorming with a loved one or working with a therapist is a great place to begin. Here are some ways to get started:
Identify current habits that you want to change. It’s important to start small.
Create a list of a few simple, desired habits to replace the ones you want to change. Explicitly write out what is replacing what. It’s just trading one thing for another.
Create a plan and use positive reinforcement to reward yourself for sticking to it. There should be a way to celebrate your successes.
Focus on solidifying one habit before adding another. Adding new habits to pre-existing habits increases the likelihood of the new habit sticking, also known as habit stacking.
Samantha Bender, LCSW, specializes in ADHD, anxiety, burnout, and depression, particularly among young adults. She supports her clients in creating routines, forming habits, and improving quality of life by understanding and accepting differences in functioning.