Why the Media Lies to You about Dopamine Fasting

How Mocking Silicon Valley Trumps Sharing Science

In August 2019, I popularized dopamine fasting 2.0, when my evidence-based guide got over 100,000 views in <24 hours. Since then, the media has made it go viral worldwide, including news coverage on ABC TV and prominent papers in the US, UK, Australia, France, Japan, India, Turkey, & The Middle East. This has been a wonderful opportunity to teach people a behavioral therapy technique to manage impulsive behaviors (like excessive internet/gaming) by purposefully withdrawing from them for periods of time at the end of each day, week, quarter, and year. Unfortunately, some clickbait journalists and those with an agenda have used it as a way of mocking Silicon Valley and its men.

In my guide, I was careful to clarify what dopamine fasting IS NOT: an avoidance of dopamine, anything stimulating, or a silent meditation retreat in which you’re not allowed to do anything or talk to anyone. However, the confusion began when a tweet went viral about one guy who refused to talk to a woman due to being on a supposed dopamine fast, despite this being the exact opposite of what I recommend. My protocol specifically suggests socializing/bonding during a dopamine fast, and I have repeatedly told journalists that this is not what my clients and followers do in Silicon Valley.