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Silicon Valley's Newest Health Fad: Dopamine Fasting (theguardian.com) 89

"They have done biohacking, clean sleeping and the keto diet, but now Silicon Valley types have coined a new health trend -- dopamine fasting," reports the Guardian: It is thought that depriving yourself of the neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger that motivates us to do things, can help to reboot or rebalance the brain. Fasting might entail abstinence from technology, artificial light, food, drink, conversation, eye contact -- essentially anything that an individual finds stimulating.

But is there any sense to the fad? "Retreating from life probably makes life more interesting when you come back to it," says David Nutt, director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit in the division of brain sciences at Imperial College London. "Monks have been doing it for thousands of years. Whether that has anything to do with dopamine is unclear."

A professor at UCSF Medical School tells the New York Times that the name is a misnomer, since it's more of a stimulation fast. The Times writes that "A dopamine fast is simple because it is basically a fast of everything... The number of things to not do is potentially endless." Silicon Valley is not the first group to discover that moderating emotions or spending periods trying to feel less can lead to happiness. In their quest, they are moving toward two very old groups: those in silent meditation and the Amish.... Karen Donovan, who is developing a new Vipassana silent meditation center in Silicon Valley, said she sees this trend as moving closer to the ultimate dopamine fast: sitting on a dark floor with eyes closed for 10 days.

"There's a growing self-awareness of what in Vipassana terms we would call suffering," she said.

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Silicon Valley's Newest Health Fad: Dopamine Fasting

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  • What? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by DontBeAMoran ( 4843879 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @09:37AM (#59448430)

    Karen Donovan, who is developing a new Vipassana silent meditation center in Silicon Valley, said she sees this trend as moving closer to the ultimate dopamine fast: sitting on a dark floor with eyes closed for 10 days.

    Prisons call this "solitary confinement".

  • by Anonymous Coward
    it is commonly known that anti-social spectrum disorders result in maladjusted individuals, and lower success in life's most important aspects such as family and children and relationships. Why you would try to impose such behavior on yourself intentionally is beyond my ken.
    • or are addicted to sports ...

      or stretch their asses until they bleed and prolapse:

      To temporarily numb the pain/suffering sensors by overwhelming them, so everyday suffering is numbed too.

      You know ... instead of solving those problems. (If you can..., I guess...)

      I, for one, prefer a couple of large beers and some candy, to be frank.

  • I've done regular fasts for a few days (no food, just non-caloric drinks) and the first bite of food is amazing. The feeling is only temporary though. An hour later, feelings are normal. Also, the effect is strong on the first fast, but gets much weaker in subsequent fasts.

  • No! Moderation! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by HalAtWork ( 926717 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @09:45AM (#59448448)

    Why must something be taken to an extreme?

    If you want to feel balanced then be balanced. Don't start cranking knobs all the way to 0 or 11. Find the balance for you, everyone is different. There are some nice mindfulness meditation centers in California, like the Insight Meditation Center. They teach you to listen to your body and listen to your mind so that you can make small adjustments to slowly find your balance. You don't just beat your body and mind into submission or rake it over coals so it will go into shock and 'reset', that sounds like you're trying to induce some kind of trauma, or at least develop a complex.

    • Long ago, a guy called Siddhartha Gautama [wikipedia.org] tried to achieve something by being an extreme religious nutcase for a few years. Then he realized a platitude that every middle-aged person with half a brain ends up figuring out anyway, which is that moderation works best

      So, yeah, you and the Buddha are right.

      • Chances are that "person" never existed in the first place. Just another myth.

      • What any guy with half a brain like you doesnt realize that in proper meditaion (Hindu or Buddhist), moderation is a goal to access higher states of consciousness and not a goal in itself.

        • You have already made an error in practice and will never achieve it. Having a goal, you have lost the way.

    • Re:No! Moderation! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @09:56AM (#59448470) Homepage Journal

      You can't charge people $150 per hour for moderation. Once the next tech recession hits, all of this stuff will go away.

      • Re:No! Moderation! (Score:4, Insightful)

        by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:21AM (#59448544)

        Once the next tech recession hits, all of this stuff will go away.

        No, more people will be doing it . . . involuntarily:

        Sitting on the floor of a dark tent on the sidewalk, fasting, because there's no money for food, and nothing to do anyway.

        I think the next tech recession will be a very "spiritual" period.

    • Re:No! Moderation! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:02AM (#59448498)

      Why must something be taken to an extreme?

      Because of the people doing it. They believe more is better and they have simple minds that can only see one parameter at a time. And when they find out that constant sensory overload is not that good an idea, instead of reducing it, they add complete sensory deprivation as the fix, because more is better. That actual life is complex and has many factors that all matter at the same time is simply beyond them.

      In actual reality, you are perfectly right. "Balance" is the key. Unless and until you can replace your body with something else, you need to listen to it and find that balance or your overall quality of everything drops. You do not even need to subscribe to any of the philosophy that usually comes meditation. Running any kind of system in its optimal performance point is just good engineering. And that optimal point is never at the extremes.

      • by Bengie ( 1121981 )
        "Monks do it", but then they miss the whole concept of the balance of yin and yang. I get most of my dopamine rushes from thinking. Problem solving, helping others solve their problems, reflecting on my thoughts and actions. Every time I feel that I have bettered myself, I get a small rush. Maybe they're saying I shouldn't help other, think, reflect, and better myself. Of course I'm exaggerating, but my real question is why don't they get dopamine hits from bettering themselves? Or at least that's what I h
    • Re:No! Moderation! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by CanadianMacFan ( 1900244 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:17AM (#59448536)

      Because people want a quick fix. Many people want to find a simple answer that will quickly and easily solve their problems so that they can go back to their existing lifestyle except that they are happier. Asking them to do things in moderation requires them to make real, permanent changes that they don't want even though that's what they need to get the results that they desire.

    • A good friend of my is a facilitator for MBSR

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

      While it does not work for everyone, for some people it is very beneficial.

    • I appreciate that while recommending moderation, you also brought up meditation - which is basically extreme quiet. Moderation doesn't mean everything you eat has to be moderately sweet, you still have time for pie and time for chili.

      Something I learned when I DJed was that in order for a loud passage to have impact, I needed to first subtly lower the volume for a couple of minutes so the audience could acclimate to the lower volume. A loud passage proceeded by a lot of loud is just more of the same.

      I thi

  • by RedLeg ( 22564 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @09:49AM (#59448454) Journal
    I fail to see any reason to pay some new-age tuck-fard for the privilege of sitting in a dark place, deprived of stimulus, when (if I saw a benefit), I could accomplished the same end by parking my ass in a small u-stor-it with with lights off.

    One hell of a lot cheaper, plus, after the 10 day deprivation period, I have 21 more days of storage I have paid for.

    I hope someone gets the obscure Snow Crash reference.

    Red

    • Not sure if the U-Stor-It is deprived of stimulus when you're sharing it with the lead of a Ukrainian nuclear fuzz-grunge band.

  • Smartest guys in the world. "Party of science".

    When they come off their "dopamine fast" I guess they'll be all refreshed, and ready to figure out some way to not award women's sports trophies to XY people (formerly known as "men").

  • by oldgraybeard ( 2939809 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @09:58AM (#59448480)
    elites have always been doing it.
    The middle class does not have the time to partake because they are, well @ Work!

    Just my 2 cents ;)
    • by Mspangler ( 770054 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:26AM (#59448570)

      Also referred to as fishing. Contemplate the motions of the bobber in the breeze and the ripples of the water. Shift position in or out of shade to maintain comfort.

      If you don't actually want to catch a fish don't bait the hook.

      Adult beverages optional.

      • I always suspect that 90% of the fishermen along the water are sitting there mostly to get some peace from their nagging wife.

        • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

          Suspect no more. It's actually 100%.

          I used to run in a big city park, up on a hill. There was a parking lot with a good view of the city, so lots of teenagers making out in cars. But there was usually this older guy parked by himself too. The first time I saw him, he was there, sleeping on my way in. On my way out it looked like he hadn't moved. I almost went over to makes sure he hadn't had a heart attack or something.

          After seeing him regularly, I strongly suspect he was just there to get some uninterr

        • This is only those who were unlucky with his wife)) I have a classic mail order bride [mailorderbrides.com]. We were in correspondence for almost six months and managed to get to know each other very well. Conflicts in our family are minimized and, as a rule, concern only the child. This little devil always manages to give us a new unexpected task)) However, if I go fishing or to a bar, then I just want this at the moment)
    • meditation is all bullshit.

      Hint: EVERYONE sits there like an idiot, wondering why it won't do anything for him, but acting as if it does, to not look like he doesn't get it. Some are just better at talking themselves into believing it actually does something. And some just so it to fuck girls, or say the do it but don't.

      Research shows that people who meditate are generally more depressed than people who don't, according to /. news from a few months ago. My guess is that this "Why won't it work?" intensifies

  • by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:00AM (#59448488)

    Sitting?

    As an old fart I prefer the old style _lying_ in a warm saltwater tank for my sensory deprivation, pardon, dopamine fast.

    • Admit it: There has never been a sensory deprivation tank without cum in it, in the history of mankind. ;)

      We just tell the ladies otherwise. O:-)

    • Sitting?

      As an old fart I prefer the old style _lying_ in a warm saltwater tank for my sensory deprivation, pardon, dopamine fast.

      It was cool freshwater before I got in there. Sorry.

  • Next up... (Score:4, Funny)

    by devnullkac ( 223246 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:02AM (#59448494) Homepage

    Oxygen fasting!

  • with beer chasers until I reach the proper level of "dopamine fasting/fasted?". Works every time.

    Just my 2 cents ;)
  • ...Silicon Valley is not the first group to discover that moderating emotions or spending periods trying to feel less can lead to happiness....

    ... just turn off their smartphones for a week?

    • by MrKaos ( 858439 )

      ...Silicon Valley is not the first group to discover that moderating emotions or spending periods trying to feel less can lead to happiness....

      ... just turn off their smartphones for a week?

      Because they're only fasting dopamine, they haven't worked out that it's the lack of serotonin after the dopamine that is causing them to feel crappy. This story can be summed up as stopping:
      "Good things happen to people who..."
      "Good things happen to people who..."
      "Good things happen to people who..."

      which basically reinforces your point about turning off smartphones.

  • by AndyKron ( 937105 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:19AM (#59448540)
    That might work for a while but then there's pon farr and everything goes to hell.
  • Does the shade of the floor really make a difference if your eyes are closed?

    • Not that this whole thing isn't already insane, in a clinical sense, but ...

      Close your eyes while looking at a light. Preferably the sun. Now swich off the light.
      You will see it. As your eyelids are thin enough to be somewhat translucent. This is also why you are woken up by bright lights like the sun coming up.

      Also, if it is sunlight or a good full-spectrum daylight lamp, your skin produces serotonin and vitamin D when exposed to it.

      This is a form of self-torture anyway. The same thing as cutting yourself,

  • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @10:48AM (#59448640)

    "Why are you doing that to yourself?"

    "Because it feels so good when I stop."

  • More evidence of why we need a wealth tax.

    Maybe instead of being so fucking self-absorbed, these people should consider doing something to help someone else.

    • I don’t see how your logic follows. Would you be okay with not having a wealth tax if they spent this on alcohol or other more traditional expenses, or if they invested it so someone else could borrow it to pay someone else to spend it on alcohol?

      I could probably look at your expenditures and find all manner of things to make me say “well that’s just stupid” but it hardly gives me any justification to go around taking your money just because I don’t like how you’ve spe
      • I could probably look at your expenditures and find all manner of things to make me say “well that’s just stupid” but it hardly gives me any justification to go around taking your money just because I don’t like how you’ve spent it.

        The difference is, I pay my taxes because that's the cost of living in a civil society. I'm not trying to find loopholes or dodges or put money off-shore. And the money I get I will spend in my lifetime. If I leave something to my kid, it will be

        • In the case of most billionaires, one can point to the goods or services they produced for others to accumulate that money.

          Just what is it youâ(TM)ve produced that gives you standing to decide what to do with it?

          • In the case of most billionaires, one can point to the goods or services they produced for others to accumulate that money.

            That hasn't been true for a long time. Most billionaires produce absolutely nothing. They make their money by owning, not by making.

    • This is a natural wealth tax. It's good when wealthy people throw their money away on useless goods and services and thus stimulate the economy, instead of saving their money where it does no good for anyone.

    • Why should they? Something tells me you arenâ(TM)t losing any sleep worrying about their problems. Why should they give a fuck about yours?

      • Why should they? Something tells me you arenâ(TM)t losing any sleep worrying about their problems. Why should they give a fuck about yours?

        But I am worrying about their problems. Their main problem is they're coming closer to getting their heads stuck in a guillotine every day. I don't want to see that happen to anyone.

        Why should they give a fuck about yours?

        Because when you care about other people's problems, helping others, it benefits you most of all. That's something so-called "Christian conserv

  • White torture yesterday, New Age today!

  • Silicon Valley's Newest Health Fad

    That sums up the entirety of what I need to know concerning whatever BS this is about.

  • For those who prefer their meditation with an experiential goal. [wikipedia.org]

    Though, no price tag, and little to do with Silicon Valley.
  • Had to lookup WTF clean sleeping meant.
    Eating in moderation, getting good / sufficient sleep, and not mentally engaging with things like an ADHD monkey on crack.
    Thought these would be obvious to most people, you know, like "water is wet", "fire is hot".
  • We already know from SSRIsy which cause Dopamine deficiency, that that is a very bad idea.

    In essence, it is what causes all those suicides.

    Then again, I'm not an enemy of natural selection, if it hits Silicon Valley, instead of innocent kids. ;)

  • sitting on a dark floor with eyes closed for 10 days

    And having your friends discover you later because you died of dehydration - on a pile of your shit and urine.

  • Nothing in between. No sense of balance. Everything has to be the most extremes possible or apparently you're 'doing it wrong' or something.
    Seriously, humans, what the actual FUCK are you doing!?
    Most intelligent people I know spend their lives trying to attain balance in their lives, not seeking out the bleeding-edge extremes of everything.
    All I seem to be seeing these days is extreme this and extreme that, in every aspect of our lives, of our entire world.
    Is our species losing it's collective mind? Lo
  • So basically spending time doing something relaxing like taking a nature walk, something that doesn't demand too much from you but allows your brain to wind down from stress. Something we've been doing for thousands of years. Most people will do this fad for 5 minutes and then get fed and go back to normal.

  • In this article, David Nutt is talking about holding off dopamine generating activities.........
  • RF pollution is real. A nice vacation in the National Quiet Zone in W. Va. is what people really need every so often. A room without glass or mirrors and no electronic devices (ditch the smartphone, the people who pressure you into using one aren't really your friends anyway) even like a portable phone is best if you're feeling frazzled. Stop watching the Psyop Machine too, unless you are masochistic or like your sportsball.

  • Iâ(TM)ve never liked the âoefastâ lifestyle. Loud parties, nightclubs and such arenâ(TM)t my favourite places.. Yep, Iâ(TM)m fairly introvert, quite happy pottering about, and maintaining a good population of garden birds (reading books and watching the escapades of the little birds is intensely relaxing). This has been a refuge from the always on (at work, I definitely run full on) for years.
    Itâ(TM)s been researched to death that overstimulation all the time messes with creati

  • Let me cut to the chase.

    "More stupid bullshit."

  • But is there any sense to the fad? "Retreating from life probably makes life more interesting when you come back to it," says David Nutt, director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit in the division of brain sciences at Imperial College London

    "Probably"? Show me the test results of a dopamine elimination or suppression test. "Probably" can setup false expectations. Ask some of the pollsters of the 2016 election.

  • by JMJimmy ( 2036122 ) on Sunday November 24, 2019 @06:24PM (#59449898)

    Part of ADHD is that the brain is starved for dopamine which prevents the brain from functioning in a neurotypical manner. How does it make sense to attempt to duplicate that?

    They're also idiots because literally anything can trigger the release of dopamine. Eating a cheeseburger? Dopamine. Double clicking on an icon and the program opening? Dopamine. Scratching your balls? Dopamine.

    Fucking morons every one of them.

  • The whole point behind that was to use dopamine to channel behavior into constructive endeavors.
  • So camping?

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