Dopamine is having a moment
👉 This is part of The Pervasive Now
According to the trends on TikTok, dopamine is having a moment. Billed as the key to pleasure and motivation, it's the ultimate motivation, and people are finding ways to both understand it and hack it. As Dazed put it, "we can't get enough of the stuff; from beauty to music, drug trends to social media, we're all dopa-fiends."
An interesting spin.
TikTok users have been compiling their own "dopamine menus", essentially non-digital mood-boosting activities that are a mix of online and offline activities designed to let you hit the dopa-highs without the inevitable lack of reward most digital interactions provide.
What's a digital menu?
"The idea is to create a list of activities or hobbies that boost your mood, presented in the style of a restaurant menu. It's meant to be an alternative to mindlessly scrolling through your phone," says Isabella Oggioni, a popular TikTok creator. "The categories are appetizers (quick activities, which take five to ten minutes), entrees (longer activities, 45 minutes or more), sides (things you can do while multitasking), and dessert (a reward after completing a challenging task)," she explains.*
It’s most interesting because..
On balance, a dopamine menu sounds appetising but hidden within this is a message - beware the frivolous chasing of quick hits your feed dishes up - you'll surely be left hungry.
