Brazilian influencer Suellen Carey decided to test the so-called "dopamine menu" for seven days after realizing she was connected to her cell phone and computer between 12 and 13 hours a day. The strategy, which has been gaining traction on social media, consists of creating a kind of personal menu of pleasurable activities to turn to when the urge arises to open a social network, check notifications, or continue scrolling through the screen without a defined purpose.
The dopamine menu's proposal is not to eliminate technology from the routine, but rather to replace, at certain moments, the automatic use of devices with experiences that also provide pleasure and stimulation. The principle behind the strategy is to offer alternatives that generate satisfaction without relying exclusively on screens.
Suellen decided to try the method after identifying that her technology usage time was excessive. The issue became more evident to her when she tried to distinguish the time dedicated to screens from other daily activities, revealing how much device usage had become automatic and prolonged.
