How to become happier? Neuroscientist suggests a 24-hour dopamine reset challenge

Feeling meh lately? You are scrolling endlessly, binge-watching shows, or chasing quick highs, only to feel emptier than before? The coffee doesn’t hit the same, your favorite playlist feels dull, and even your comfort food lacks comfort. If that sounds familiar,, you might be experiencing what neuroscientists call dopamine desensitization, when the brain's reward system gets overstimulated and becomes less responsive to stimuli that once triggered pleasure or motivation. But here’s the good news: now that you know the root cause, there's a way to reset it. The 24-hour dopamine reset challenge!

TJ Power, a neuroscientist and author, has recently shared about the 24-hour dopamine reset challenge. This challenge, according to him, would rebalance the dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a crucial role in the body's reward system and influences emotions, motivation, and movement. This challenge is part of mental health awareness week.

The neuroscientist explains that the villain behind your gloominess and demotivation is right in your fingertips - your phone and screens. While these gadgets provide you with instant gratification, they also rob you of your joy and zest for life. “I want to give you a specific challenge to attempt today to support rebalancing your dopamine. This challenge is called meals, bedroom, bathroom, and it's all about how you're interacting with your phone and with screens. Often when we're constantly opening our phones and going on social media and email and WhatsApp, we're overstimulating dopamine, we're exhausting this brain chemical, which is making us feel quite flat and low and demotivated,” the neuroscientist said in a video shared on Instagram.

The challenge is simple and only has three rules. It is all about eliminating screen time in three specific settings for 24 hours. Yeah, that’s it. “For 24 hours, you attempt not to look at a screen in any of those environments,” TJ Power instructs.

The first place is when you eat. If you eat three meals a day, you have to avoid looking at screens all three times. It’s doable, however, some people may struggle with it, as watching videos on TV or scrolling through their phone has become quite common these days.

Next is the bedroom. “No screens: no iPads, no phones, you try and get into bed, take some deep breaths, and fall asleep with no stimulation,” he adds.

The last one might be a little tough, especially for those who habitually take their phones to the toilet. Yes, that’s right. No screens in the toilet. You have to get your business done, and then step out. “We all go to the bathroom a few times a day, and how tempting is it becoming to just sit there and go on our phone during those moments?” the scientist asks.