Living A Full Life
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Living A Full Life
Dopamine Nation: How Screens Hijack Your Brain
Are you constantly fighting with your children about screen time? Do you find yourself mindlessly reaching for your phone dozens of times each day? There's a neurological explanation for these behaviors that goes beyond simple habit or addiction.
Dopamine—the brain's motivation and reward chemical—is being hijacked by our digital devices in ways that fundamentally change how our brains function. This isn't just making us distracted; it's rewiring neural pathways, especially in developing minds. As a physician witnessing the fallout in my practice daily, I'm seeing an epidemic of behavioral issues, attention problems, and emotional dysregulation directly linked to this neurochemical imbalance.
The science is alarming: studies show that social media and endless scrolling trigger dopamine surges comparable to those caused by drugs like cocaine. When 80% of teenagers spend more than three hours daily on these platforms, they're twice as likely to develop serious mental health conditions. Even more concerning, research reveals that heavy smartphone users experience actual physical changes in brain regions controlling emotional regulation and decision-making. We're not just changing behaviors—we're changing brains.
But there's hope. Understanding how dopamine actually works (it's about pursuit, not pleasure) and implementing practical strategies like "dopamine fasting" can help reset our neural sensitivity. By creating tech-free periods, embracing natural dopamine sources like exercise and human connection, and establishing firm boundaries for our children, we can reclaim our attention and protect developing minds.
Whether you're a concerned parent or someone who's noticed your own focus deteriorating, this episode offers concrete strategies to break the cycle of digital dependency and foster healthier brain chemistry for yourself and your family. Listen now to discover how you can recognize the warning signs of dopamine overload and implement a realistic digital detox plan that works for modern life. What small change could you make today to start resetting your brain's reward system?
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Today we're diving into a silent epidemic dopamine overload caused by screens, social media and constant stimulation. It's affecting your kids and you. We'll explore what dopamine actually is, how tech is rewiring the brain and what we can do to take back control. Thanks for joining into Living a Full Life Podcast. I'm Dr Enrico Dolcecori. Just like every other week, we're here helping you and your families live healthier lives.
Speaker 1:Dopamine is, I think, the new endemic in our entire population. As far as us, our kids and the youngsters, they are all getting dopamine unnecessarily and I think it's something we need to understand. Let's go from the science. You know that's what I am as a doctor. I want to make sure we understand the science first and getting into this and understanding what dopamine, serotonin and all these things are.
Speaker 1:Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. It's a brain chemical that plays a major role in motivation, reward and pleasure. It's released when we do things like eat, laugh, exercise or accomplish goals. It's not a feel-good chemical on its own. It's more of a wanting or anticipation signal. It's usually misunderstood with oxytocin release, which is a release after pleasure, but dopamine works in the pursuit of pleasure and we need to remember that as we go through. So, according to neuroscientist, dr Anna Lamke, the author of Dopamine Nation. Dopamine is not about feeling pleasure, but rather about pursuing pleasure, and overexposure to dopamine triggers rewires our motivation systems. Keep that in mind for the entire podcast and what this is doing to our children and to yourself. But you're a lost cause. You're old and frail. You're falling apart, but your kids we're still taking care of them, right?
Speaker 1:Social media and screen time use or overuse can unnaturally cause high spikes in dopamine. Likes, notifications, scrolling they all equal hits of dopamine and this can be done hundreds, if not thousands, of times per day. You really have to put that into perspective of pre-screen and tech times. Let's go back to the 1970s, to now, and what that has done to the brains of humans across all industrialized nations. This leads to dopamine desensitization and I think that's where we're at right now as a society is. We have desensitized dopamine brains. The brain starts requiring more stimulation for the same effect. Pursue, will, willingness are all being hit and require more fuel, more dopamine, to make more people more pursuit their goals and hit more of their willfulness or have will to work, play, achieve, whatever it may be.
Speaker 1:A 2018 study published in Neuroregulation found that excessive screen time affects the dopa energetic system, impairing impulse control and attention, especially in adolescents. A surprising stat is that teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to experience mental health issues like depression and anxiety Eight out of 10. And students 8 out of 10 teens spend more than 3 hours a day on social media. So we are running into an endemic. It's an epidemic, I think, but endemic for sure.
Speaker 1:It's an endemic in our society where we have behavioral issues. This is probably the number one thing we run into from between the 4 years of age to 16 years of age category. Our children to teenage years of age category are children to teenage years. Is behavior Parents coming in saying, hey, we've got some behavior stuff? We heard chiropractic and neurology can help. Neurology therapy can help with this and really, as doctors were battling this dopamine influx and this dopamine society that we're in.
Speaker 1:So behavioral issues are typically in this category irritability, impatience and inability to focus. If this feels like you as an adult, this could be because of the same thing. You got 25 tabs open on your internet. You got your cell phone, your tablet and your laptop all in front of you. You're just getting hit from all different directions at all the time and what ends up happening is we struggle with boredom or simple tasks because normal life feels dull without the dopamine spikes. So the neurological changes that happen with this is that the prefrontal cortex, which is the decision-making process of the brain and self-control area, is still developing in kids and teens, unlike adults. The constant dopamine surges disrupt healthy brain development.
Speaker 1:We need to be extra vigilant with our children when it comes to these screen times and especially social media. There is no reason our children need to be on social media whatsoever. It's dangerous is no reason our children need to be on social media whatsoever. It's dangerous, first off, from a social economic perspective of having our kids' faces out into the public like that, I think as a parent it's dangerous. So you get to control the filter of when a profile is created for your child and what age they have to be for that. I recommend the older the better. And then also the brain dangers that happen with this, with the child using social media early and then starting to get the comparison things and all the things that happen with social media. So the dopamine is the focus here.
Speaker 1:Research from Nature Communications in 2016 showed that chronic overexposure to digital stimuli alters brain circuits in ways similar to drug addiction, especially in young users. It's equivalent to drugs and we know sugar does the same thing. Sugar is a drug. It's the same things as heroin, cocaine I mean, this is serious. We have to sit here and you would never let your nine-year-old do cocaine. The dopamine hit that they're getting from social media is serious. We have to sit here and you would never let your nine-year-old do cocaine. The dopamine hit that they're getting from social media is equivalent, just being real. Here, adults face the same things. We're not immune to this.
Speaker 1:Doom scrolling, tiktok addiction and the need to check it constantly are real issues. Have you ever picked up your phone to do something productive, like make a phone call or check your email, but instead you click the social media button Instead, you're like how did I end up here? I was going to do something else. Why do we always default to the social media button or whatever it is Instagram, facebook, tiktok, linkedin, whatever it is why do we default on pushing that button? That button is pushed more than any other app button on your phone by tenfold. So every time you push the email button or make a phone call button, your social applications are tapped on 10 times more, at least, than those functional apps or functionality of your phone which is to make a phone call or to require or to receive a text. So we have to, we have to be pragmatic about this and understand that we are as guilty as charged on this and these, these habits can pass down to our kids, and I'm saying this as a parent myself guilty as charged. You know, I'm on my phone in front of my children and I'm setting up bad examples.
Speaker 1:So loss of deep focus and satisfaction with real world tasks can happen for us as adults. When we get into the doom scrolling, we're getting our dopamine hits as well Increase in anxiety, sleep disturbances and burnout. In a 2021 study from Frontiers in Psychology, heavy smartphone users showed reduced gray matter in parts of their brain related to emotional regulation and decision-making. We're becoming more emotionally intolerant and it makes us a little bit more sad. It makes us a little bit less empathetic to others. Over time, we're cultivating a society that doesn't look good in the long run as far as human-to-human nurturing processes.
Speaker 1:So what can we do about this for us and our kids? I mean, let's get real here. What are some things we need to do actively, starting now, to really do this, Just like how intermittent fasting in your diet can really help kill off bad cells in the body, lose weight, decrease inflammation and all the positives that we talked about diet exercises or diet podcasts in the past. Talk about dopamine fasting for a second and giving your brain a reset. Take a break from all digital stimulation 24 hours or even four to six hours daily. A 24-hour break can be set for a Saturday or a Sunday where you just do not go onto social media. That is just fantastic for your brain. Or even a four to six-hour period during the waking hours of the day to not go on this, maybe just skipping the morning saying I'm not going to go on any social media until after I eat lunch. That could be a great thing. Where we have these breaks of the dopamine hits, let the brain reset its sensitivity to natural rewards that happen. Getting tasks done, preparing a healthy meal, finishing an exercise, doing some stretching, breathing, having an intelligent conversation with someone else these things can all replace social media and get natural dopamine responses from there.
Speaker 1:Hugging your children All of these things can do that. Replace artificial highs with natural dopamine hits. Exercise, nature, exposure. Going for a walk, connection with others, hobbies like music, art, learning, journaling, writing, reading All of these things can give you the same effects. And then set boundaries for our children and ourselves.
Speaker 1:Screen-free mornings, or maybe before bed, use grayscale mode on phones to reduce visual stimulation and make boredom acceptable. It fosters creativity and resilience. If you're bored, it's good. Do something with that boredom and make it fun. Do something, make believe, play, play with your siblings, be creative. Go paint, go draw, go bang a stick on a wall or on a tree, whatever whatever it is. Go do something else. It fosters the right parts of the brain. It nurtures brain development. It increases gray matter. It does all the positive things that I think we're losing, all the positive things that I think we're losing. This is a real PSA from the heart that we're treading dangerous waters here in what's happening and making this all warm.
Speaker 1:If you're a parent struggling with a teen that's doing all this, most likely the social media is not helping. Good luck on you. My prayers are with you. With teenagers it's, it's good, it's a fight. It's a fight because it's become so culturally norm for everyone to be staring at these phones. It's, it's trouble, but you can be the one that makes the change, and it takes a village. So surround yourself with people who also agree with you on this, because it creates a little community of acceptance that hey, we don't play on our phones, we just don't do that. And then you create new norms for your children, which is really important.
Speaker 1:I highly recommend that book by Dr Anna Lembke Lembke spelled L-E-M-B-K-E. Even if you're not a super nerd on neuroscience Dopamine Nation Please read that book. It's fantastic. It's an excellent source to quote and recommend to your friends and family about how to help with kids that are struggling. I think this is a very important topic and it's the most common thing is behavioral issues. We're not broken. We're just overloaded when it comes to all this stuff. When we learn how dopamine works and reclaim our habits, we can take back control of our focus, joy and well-being.
Speaker 1:Try the dopamine reset challenge this week. Do it this weekend, this week. Get on it, do it. Give it a try. Subscribe to the channel, share this podcast with others, leave a comment about what you do to help detox from this and if you're struggling from the dopamine overload as well, reach out to us. Reach out an email or ask more particular questions, because once you engage, we can dive deeper into the right questions that are strictly and specific for you, and then we can get better advice rather than just the normal podcast answers of you know, get, rest, eat better, sleep and breathe. We can dive in and figure out what it is that's causing your stress and where the dopamine hits are affecting your overall health.
Speaker 1:But the source we talked about today it's the overstimulation from social media, the constant dopamine and scrolling and the TikTok doom scrolls. These videos are giving us more and more entertainment as fast as ever before, and our brains just eat it all up and don't want to put the phones down, and that's a natural response. And if you're at that point where you do tap those social media icons more than anything else, you're probably in the whole dopamine flush as well. So we're many of us are guilty of it. Join the team, let's work together to be healthier. Let's help these kids live healthier and have their brain development go.
Speaker 1:No phones in our house yet, but our oldest is 10. And I don't know what the rule is. I the way the more I you know knowledge is power, the more you learn. It's like I don't think you're ever going to have a phone, but that good luck. That's a dad talking right there, but you're never going to have a boyfriend either. But you know the things that you say never, never, say never. But we're just going to try and push it as long as we possibly can. So we nurture that and we create a village for ourselves.
Speaker 1:We some of you homeschool, some of you go to schools. We pick the schools that are congruent with this. We put our kids in environments that the teachers, the principal, the authority there are all on the same page, saying absolutely no phones are allowed in this school. Great, that's a school. We'll listen to Things like that. You may have to make certain changes like that to put them in safer environments. There's no reason for a fifth grader to be scrolling on a phone at all, ever. That's not judgment, that's advice. So use it as you like. We're here for you. Stay well, stay healthy, take care of your beautiful kids and have a wonderful week.
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