Fasting has traditionally been a religious practice. By abstaining from foods, drinks and various other activities that give humans pleasure, the practitioners of fasting believe they can exonerate their soul from the sin of temptation. And to resist temptations is a basic tenet of many religious beliefs. But recently a new kind of fasting, 'dopamine fasting', has hit the Silicon Valley, the world's high-tech hub, as a new fad.
The 'dopamine fasting' enthusiasts believe the more people give themselves to the power of dopamine, a brain chemical known for creating the feeling of pleasure or more precisely, motivation, the more they crave higher level of stimulation to have the same effect.
The way people are increasingly getting addicted to digital devices and global digital communication platforms that those are networked with have driven Dr Cameron Sepah, a clinical psychiatry professor, at the University of California, San Francisco, to introduce, what he terms, 'dopamine fasting'.
So, what is dopamine fasting?
It is, according to Dr Sepah, 'Taking a break from behaviours that trigger strong amounts of dopamine release (especially in a repeated fashion) allows our brain to recover and restore itself.' Actually, Dr Sepah's original idea was that his prescription of dopamine fasting would act as an 'antidote to our overstimulated age'.
The six compulsive behaviours that dopamine fasting, Dr Sepah believe, may respond to are: a) emotional eating, b) excessive internet usage and gaming, c) gambling and shopping, d) porn and masturbation, e) thrill and novelty seeking, and f) recreational drugs.
But some followers of this new wellness fad have taken the practice to its ascetic extreme. They are abstaining themselves from any experience that might bring pleasure in addition to the six behaviours listed in the foregoing. Some have gone so far as to avoid making eye contact, chatting with friends or even making moderately fast movements that may cause stimulation in the body.
But Dr Sepah does not recommend avoiding all stimulation, especially, human interaction. However, indirect interactions like scrolling on social media needs to be restricted.
But can we really 'fast away' dopamine, a neurotransmitter?
It is, in fact, a body's system for reward, motivation, learning and pleasure. True, dopamine level in the body does rise when we do activities that are self-rewarding. But when a practitioner of dopamine fasting avoids doing very stimulating activities, the dopamine level in the body does not necessarily lower.
So, in a sense 'dopamine fasting' is a misnomer. Moreover, it (dopamine) is not something like 'heroin' or 'cocaine'. And 'fasters' mistakenly think that they are giving themselves a 'tolerance break' by denying their body the stimulant, dopamine, and that its stock in the body system will be replenished once the exciting activities like eating, gambling, visiting internet, social media platforms and so on are started afresh after breaking the fast.
But the brain chemicals do not work that way. Actually, taking a break from the stimulating activities is not going to reset the system that controls dopamine in human body.
More than anticipating the reward of a stimulating activity, dopamine is involved in motor control, memory and excitement.
However, as originally conceived of by its proponent, Dr Sepah, dopamine fasting is a method based on cognitive behavioural therapy by which we can wean ourselves off unhealthy stimuli that go with modern technology-centric society.
The focus is on getting detached from overactive digital world and doing rather simple, natural things. This is how it is possible to protect ourselves from the digital-era temptations.
As science now sees a brain substance as the villain behind temptation, psychiatrists are now suggesting ways to deny the brain that substance to exonerate people from this digital era sin.
In other words, science has reinvented fasting in the shape of dopamine fasting, which many people have long been practising as an article of their faith.
