Trying to predict trends ahead of time can be challenging. You never quite know how new ideas will be received in the marketplace. New technologies and scientific breakthroughs seemingly pop up out of nowhere. Flashes of brilliance coming when we least expect them. But I have a fair bit of confidence in predicting that Dopamine Hacking is likely going to increase in popularity in the near future. At least for a short while.
According to Web MD, “Dopamine plays a role in how we feel pleasure. It’s a big part of our unique human ability to think and plan. It helps us strive, focus, and find things interesting. Your body spreads it along four major pathways in the brain. Like most other systems in the body, you don’t notice it (or maybe even know about it) until there’s a problem. Too much or too little of it can lead to a vast range of health issues. Some are serious, like Parkinson’s disease. Others are much less dire.”
And now people want to hack it. To achieve optimal performance. In theory, it makes sense. In practice, it seems a little bit odd.
As Science Alert puts it, “It’s the latest fad in Silicon Valley. By reducing the brain’s feel-good chemical known as dopamine – cutting back on things like food, sex, alcohol, social media and technology – followers believe that they can ‘reset’ the brain to be more effective and appreciate simple things more easily.
Some even go so far as avoiding all social activities, and even eye contact.”
Silicon Valley seems to have a lot of fads. Micro-dosing LSD. Injecting yourself with the blood of a younger person to stave off the effects of aging. Various diet crazes. But Dopamine Fasting, an attempt to literally hack your brain has got to take the cake. It’ll be interesting to see just how far this trend goes. And if it lasts until 2021.
Is Dopamine Hacking the Greatest Idea Ever?
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