Here’s what happens to your
brain when you take a break
from social media
From dopamine deficits to withdrawal symptoms, detoxing from
social media can be challenging. This is how to make it work for
you.
Think you’re spending too much time scrolling on
your phone? You’re not alone. The average American
adult logs over two hours a day on social media,
while teens double that on platforms like TikTok and
Instagram.
As experts warn of the addictive features of social
networks, more people are looking for ways to break
free—evidenced by a 60 percent surge in Google
searches for “social media detox” in recent months.
Effects of social media on the brain
Many of us suspect we spend too much time
scrolling—a concern underscored by Oxford
University Press selecting “brain rot” as 2024’s word
of the year. But finding the willpower to cut back is
not an easy feat, thanks to how social media taps
into our brain’s reward system.
Anna Lembke, addiction medicine expert and author
of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of
Indulgence, explains that people can get addicted to
digital media just like they can get addicted to
drugs. Based on what we know about how drugs and
alcohol affect the brain, we can infer that a similar
process takes place when we check social media,
with every like, comment, or cute cat video
triggering a surge of dopamine, the brain’s “feel-
good” chemical.
However, our brain is designed to maintain an
overall dopamine balance—what Lembke describes
as a teeter-totter mechanism. Endless scrolling
eventually disrupts this balance, prompting the brain
to compensate by producing less dopamine or
slowing its transmission. Over time, this can lead us
into a state of “dopamine deficit,” where we need
more time online to get back to feeling “normal.”
Hitting “pause” on this social-media-induced dopamine cycle can
allow the brain to reset reward pathways, Lembke says, allowing
us to stop the kind of compulsive overconsumption that leads to
“brain rot.”
There is no one-size-fts-all solution when it comes to social media
detoxing, says Paige Coyne, co-author of a study on the health
impacts of a two-week social media detox on 31 young adults.
“Excessive social media use can mean different things to different
people,” she says, adding that what’s key is to make realistic
goals to bring down our usual social media consumption. “Some
people may want to give it up entirely while others may want to
cut down time spent on social media by half.”
To help rewire the brain reward pathways, Lembke
recommends abstaining for as long as you can—
ideally at least four weeks. But even short breaks
have proved effective for improving mental health. A
study of 65 girls aged 10 to 19 found that taking a
three-day break from social media improved their
self-esteem and self-compassion, resulting in lower
body shame.
How to cope with social media withdrawal
Whether you decide to stop using social media for a
few weeks or limit your everyday use for some time,
you’ll probably find the first few days are the hardest
to get through, says Sarah Woodruff, who co-
authored the social media detox study with Coyne.
Experiencing “withdrawal symptoms” like cravings
or anxiety is to be expected, Lembke says, as the
brain adjusts to lower levels of dopamine. But
enduring these uncomfortable feelings allows our
brain reward pathways to reboot and stop the cycle
of craving and consuming. Eventually, the cravings
will stop, and it will be easier to get through the day
without constant dopamine hits. “As the days went
by, people found that the detox was easier than they
had expected,” Woodruff says. “Once they got into a
groove most people enjoyed it.”
By the end of the two-week detox, where social
media consumption was capped to 30 minutes per
day, most participants reported mental health
benefits such as greater life satisfaction, reduced
stress levels, and improved sleep compared with the
period before the study.
Getting over the hump may be easier if you join
forces with one or more detox buddies. In the study
on teen girls, Tomi-Ann Roberts, a professor of
psychology at Colorado College, asked participants
to check in with each other through a WhatsApp
group during each day of the experiment to find
support. “We found that girls experienced feelings of
disconnection and fear of missing out,” Roberts says,
“but they could share their experience with others,
so they felt less alone.”
On top of rewiring our brain’s reward pathways,
taking a temporary break from social media can
make us more aware of our relationship with social
media platforms. “We can use this time to take a
step back and become more aware of what is it that
we do [on social media] and whether it benefits us,”
Woodruff says. “Things like do I get everything that I
need to get done in a day or I am missing out on
face-to-face interaction because of social media.”
SUMMARY:
Taking a break from social media can have a powerful impact on the brain
and overall well-being. Social media triggers dopamine releases, creating
an addictive cycle that can lead to a “dopamine deficit,” making it harder
to feel satisfied offline. Detoxing from social media, even for a short time,
allows the brain to reset and reduces compulsive scrolling.
Studies show that limiting social media improves sleep, lowers stress, and
boosts self-esteem. While withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and cravings
are common at first, they fade as the brain adjusts. Experts recommend
setting realistic goals, whether reducing screen time or taking a complete
break. Having support from friends can also make the process easier. In
the end, stepping away from social media not only improves mental
health but also helps people become more mindful of their digital habits.
UNKNOWN WORDS:
Withdrawal- the act or process of taking something away so that it is
no longer available, or of someone stopping being involved in an
activity:
Triggering causing a strong emotional reaction of fear or worry
because someone is made to remember something bad that has
happened in the past:
Compensate to pay someone money in exchange for work they have
done or a service they have provided:
Abstaining to not do something, especially something enjoyable that
you think might be bad:
Rewiring to put a new system of electric wires into a building or
machine:
Pathways a series of actions that can be taken in order to achieve
something:
