Digital detoxYou don't run out of dopamine. You can change what happens when you open the app.
What research describes, and what has a study behind it.
No study we cite shows that social media drains dopamine or that days without a phone recharge it. What has a study behind it is the pause: in the one sec study, a one-second pause led people to close the app 36% of the time. That study tested one sec, not Offimo.
- What we stand behind: No neurochemistry promises, A rule set in advance, Fewer openings, not less life, Measure your own week
- Getting started: Download Offimo, Pick your apps, Let the pause work
The popular idea is that social media uses up your dopamine and a few days without your phone recharge it. No study we cite shows that. What research describes is that dopamine has more to do with wanting and anticipating than with pleasure itself.
If picking up the phone is where that weighs, that's where a barrier helps. Offimo holds access for a few seconds when you try to open a protected app. In the one sec study, a one-second pause led people to close the app 36% of the time. The study measures openings, not screen time, and it tested one sec, not Offimo.
What we stand behind
No neurochemistry promises
Offimo doesn't claim to recharge anything. It puts a pause at the moment you open the app.
A rule set in advance
In the experiment by Allcott, Gentzkow and Song (2022), people who could fix limits on their own future use used social media less.
Fewer openings, not less life
The one sec study measured openings, not screen time. The pause doesn't take the app away from you.
Measure your own week
In Settings → Screen Time, your iPhone shows how many times you picked it up. Compare one week with the next.
Getting started
- 1
Download Offimo
Install from the App Store and finish the initial setup.
- 2
Pick your apps
Choose which apps and sites deserve a pause before they open. Change it whenever you like.
- 3
Let the pause work
Next time you tap the icon, the pause appears, and the decision is yours again.
Frequently asked questions
Is a "dopamine detox" science or a fad?
The phrase comes from popular writing. Research links dopamine to anticipation, but no study we cite shows that days without your phone recharge dopamine.
What has a study behind it?
Limits set in advance (Allcott, Gentzkow and Song, 2022) and a brief pause before opening the app (Grüning and Lorenz-Spreen, 2023). Both measure behaviour, not a neurotransmitter.
Do I need days with no stimulation at all?
The sources we cite don't ask for that. They show the effect of small rules and pauses kept up for weeks.
See also
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