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What Is A 'Dopamine Menu', Latest Trend To Emerge From TikTok?

The viral dopamine menu trend claims to promote self-care, acknowledging the importance of pleasure and enjoyment in maintaining mental and emotional well-being.

Written by Prerna Mittra | Published : October 28, 2024 6:00 PM IST

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Dopamine Menu: The Latest TikTok Trend

There are many trends that TikTok users often float around, some of which have to do with a person's well-being and overall health. Currently, the wellness trend that is going viral on the app is something called the 'dopamine menu'. TikTok users have been claiming that this trend is all about feeling better and improving your mood. It basically entails following a list of curated activities throughout the day to improve mental health and stay away from mindless social media scrolling.

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Dopamine Menu Activities

Just like an actual food menu, the dopamine menu is also supposed to provide one with 'starter' activities, 'main course' activities, 'sides', and 'desserts'. It can be personalised based on a person's state of mental health, their daily routine, their energy level, health, etc. According to mental health experts, the idea is to have a menu of go-to activities per your liking to keep dopamine levels balanced. Also Read - Major depressive disorder vs situational sadness: The neurobiological differences you should know

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What Is Dopamine?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, dopamine is a 'neurotransmitter' that is made in the brain. It assumes the role of a 'reward center', and is a key part of many body functions like movement and memory, motivation and mood, attention, pleasure, etc. High or low levels of dopamine can cause diseases like Parkinson’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), restless legs syndrome, etc.

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Dopamine Menu Benefits

When you create a dopamine menu, you are able to improve mood, increase your motivation, enhance your creativity, manage stress in a better manner, improve self-care, etc.