Giving your brain a break: Should you take a digital detox?

– Could it be time to take a dopamine detox?

– The idea is that you take a break from experiences that bring you pleasure, like social media and video games

Image: © gekaskr/ 123rf.com

When was the last time you switched off your phone?

Are you someone who falls asleep with your device in your hand, unable to stop tweeting, scrolling, and consuming the endless content to be found at the touch of a button?

Perhaps it’s time to take a ‘dopamine detox’, that’s the newest fad which a lot of people swear by in order to ‘reset’ the brain.

The idea is that you take a break from experiences that bring you pleasure, so things like social media, video games, even sex, and food.

According to addiction expert Dr Anna Lembke, our smartphones are making us dopamine junkies, with each swipe, like, and tweet feeding our habit.

Lester Kiewit explores the idea of taking a dopamine ‘fast’ with experts Dr Sharon Munyaka from the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of SA and communications specialist Nazareen Ebrahim at Naz Consulting International.

“Talking about the dopamine effect, you always want a reward in your brain, but the only problem with that is your brain also identifies pain in the same part it identifies pleasure.” Dr Sharon Munyaka – Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of SA

She says we are so overwhelmed with these platforms that offer dopamine rewards.

Those who work in news and media have both a work-related usage of social media as well as scrolling for their own entertainment, she explains.

“If you work in media, your consumption is derived from two areas. One is you are scrolling to learn, to research, and the other part of that is you are scrolling to get entertained.” Dr Sharon Munyaka – Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of SA

Listen to the full interview here