The wellness world loves talking about dopamine and cortisol – but is it all just hype? You’ve probably come across these terms before in the wellness space. Many people think of dopamine as the “happy hormone” and cortisol as the “stress hormone” – one good, the other bad. It’s no surprise, then, that trends like dopamine menus, dopamine detoxes, and cortisol detoxes are all over social media. There’s no shortage of YouTube videos on the topic, and you can even buy courses promising to help you ‘hack’ these hormones. But is it really that simple? Let’s take a closer look.
Cortisol
Cortisol1https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6371989/ is a stress hormone. This means the more stress you experience the more this hormone is produced. High levels of cortisol in the body can be detrimental to your health, causing weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, and poor immune function. But is it all bad? After all, many of your bodily cells contain cortisol receptors and rely on them to support important functions within your body, such as supporting a developing foetus. A normal level of cortisol is essential for optimal function, but higher levels can be detrimental. Unfortunately, there are many stresses out of our control. Recognising when you feel these levels are higher than you’d like could be crucial in helping you reduce them.2https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
When it comes to a cortisol detox, it’s important to remember that your body naturally detoxes through the liver and kidneys, as long as these organs are functioning properly. However, managing stress effectively can still make a big difference. Practices like meditation, yoga, tai chi, somatic movement, deep breathing, limiting excessive caffeine, and prioritising quality sleep can all help support healthy cortisol levels.
Dopamine
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter involved in helping you feel pleasure. A lack of dopamine can contribute to low mood. Overexposure to high-dopamine activities like scrolling social media, binge-watching TV, and eating sugary foods could lead to desensitisation long term, making everyday activities less enjoyable.
The concept of a dopamine detox sets out to reduce overstimulation, allowing for a reset of your reward system rather than depriving yourself of pleasurable activities.3https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11223451/ By being intentional and limiting instant gratification activities, you can allow your brain to recalibrate and find joy in the simpler things. Often noticeable in children when they watch screens versus when they play outside more, their behaviour can greatly differ.
Implementing a dopamine detox may look like avoiding junk food as much as possible, placing limits or scheduling times when you avoid social media and TV.4https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3059485/ Engage in less stimulating and enjoyable activities like reading and walking in nature. Learn a new skill! This could be crafting, cooking, or playing an instrument. If you’re able to reduce the overstimulating activities you could start adding them back in gradually, paying attention to how they affect your mood.
What is a dopamine menu?
As it was a big trend in 2024, you may well already know about the dopamine menu. It is essentially a list of personally curated activities to balance dopamine stimulation. It can help people take a proactive approach to ensure they’re engaging in a mix of rewarding experiences without seeking those high-dopamine activities each time. The menu is normally divided into sections such as appetisers/starters, mains, and desserts.
We have created a sample below to give you some ideas! With this trend, you can personalise it to suit. Some dopamine menus may reflect activities suited to the time of day, and some may go in order of effort or even time taken to complete the activity.
Please note that this article is intended to explain recent trends, not to provide medical advice. While scientists continue to make progress in understanding the dopaminergic system, much remains unknown. That said, these concepts can be useful for building healthy habits, and some individuals may find structuring activities in a ‘menu’ format particularly helpful.
For more healthy habits, see here. 😊
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