Dopamine effect

The first thing that many of us do upon waking up in the morning is to check our mobile for the messages, notifications or mails that we  receive while being asleep. This engagement with our smartphone continues throughout the day with frequent surfing through social media watching reels, posts, updates and likes and comments received on materials posted by us. And forget the time spent on smartphones by working professionals. They receive mails and messages non stop, including during the wee hours.

Therefore, increasingly the advice from experts and influencers is to restrict the use of smartphone. While it may not be possible for working professionals to pay heed to this advice, what about students, self employed, home makers and retired persons? 

All the above is very effectively discussed in a small book “ Dopamine Detox” by Thibaut Meurisse, which was suggested to me by a close friend.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates us to do something in anticipation of a reward. But no amount of stimulation or anticipation for reward can give fulfilment. As per the author, social media capitalises on our preference for certain content and repeatedly serve us with what we want to see or know about, getting us hooked on to that particular theme. While the companies and the content creators actually get rewarded in the form of revenue, we end up wasting our precious time by craving for more of something that’s of absolutely no use to us. In the process the time than we should be devoting to creative or important things gets diverted and we end up procrastinating or altogether avoiding doing it! 

At this stage of my life, I do not require to be hooked on to my phone for aimless surfing, but smartphone being a one stop shop for wasted as well as creative energy, hopefully I will display enough maturity to use discretion. Professionals and youngsters should definitely pay attention to this important aspect of detoxing themselves of this dopamine effect and restrict usage of non work related phone/ internet.