Experts reveal a simple happiness hack that may be the key to a better mood
What if you could order up joy as easily as ordering your favorite meal? Enter the dopamenu, a tool created in 2020 by YouTuber Jessica McCabe, author of How To ADHD, as a way to combat your happiness. Similar to a menu you’d find at a restaurant, a dopamenu contains different sections and types of activities designed to fill your day with enjoyment and meaning. Now, four years after McCabe invented the dopamenu, the term has been given new life on social media, with millions of TikTok users sharing their own personalised versions, claiming it has helped them feel happier.
The “dopamenu” concept was born during the pandemic when McCabe and Eric Tivers, LCSW, a psychotherapist and founder of ADHD reWired (a podcast and coaching platform to support adults with ADHD) were spending a bit too much time doom scrolling and not enough time doing things that sparked joy. Following a conversation about this, McCabe developed the dopamenu as a practical way to help people choose activities that make them feel good.
As someone with ADHD, McCabe originally coined the dopamenu for those with ADHD who may experience decreased levels of dopamine and need more stimulation. However, anyone can benefit from making their own dopamenu, whether you have ADHD or not. If you’ve simply been “going through the motions” in life lately without much spark, it could be a beneficial exercise for you.
Ahead, experts explain how you can potentially boost your dopamine using the hack—plus, how to create and customise your own dopamenu.
Meet the experts: Olivia Verhulst, LMHC, is a New York City-based psychotherapist. Rachel Goldberg, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and founder of the private practice Rachel Goldberg Therapy.
What is a dopamine menu?
A ‘dopamenu’ is essentially a list of curated activities that bring you happiness. You make and personalise the list yourself, and it should ideally include enjoyable, stimulating, and healthy activities that boost your feel-good hormones, says New York City-based psychotherapist Olivia Verhulst, LMHC. Since doing activities you enjoy can increase dopamine—the neurotransmitter responsible for happiness, satisfaction, motivation, and more—the items on your list should ideally do just that. Dopamine also plays a major role in how you experience pleasure and reward, Verhulst says, which your brain and body craves.
“When you’re doing something enjoyable, your brain releases dopamine and you naturally seek more of that feeling,” says Verhulst. Many people tend to look for quick hits of that feel-good sensation by scrolling through Instagram, for example. That said, mindless activities like this may provide an instant rush of happiness, says Verhulst, but they’re usually followed by a quick crash in which you feel depleted or even overwhelmed. In other words, your cup isn’t really full. That’s where the dopamenu comes in—it’s an easy formula to help you identify activities that are both fulfilling and make you happier in the long run.
Can a ‘dopamenu’ really make you happier?
Absolutely. Although the dopamenu technique itself hasn’t yet been scientifically researched, dopamine is directly tied to the way you experience happiness—and doing enjoyable activities can increase that sensation right away. “Engaging in mood-boosting activities like spending time near water, exercising, journalling, or calling a friend can all increase dopamine, and if done consistently, can enhance overall happiness measures,” says psychotherapist Rachel Goldberg, LMFT, founder of Rachel Goldberg Therapy. Creating a dopamine-boosting list of activities can also help if you’re generally feeling a bit down, overwhelmed, or unmotivated, she says.
Think of it this way: Do you ever notice you feel a lot happier after a run or high-intensity workout? That’s your dopamine talking. Exercise is a scientifically proven way to increase dopamine, according to a 2022 study in The Journal of Neuroscience. Meditation, listening to music, and achieving goals have also been shown to elevate those feel-good hormones.
Making a personal dopamenu help you figure out which activities genuinely fill your cup—and it can also encourage and remind you to choose those activities rather than alternatives that aren’t as fulfilling or rewarding, says McCabe. (Doom scrolling and mindless eating, looking at you). You’re most likely already inundated with many choices each day, so have your dopamenu choose for you!
How to create your own ‘dopamenu’
First, think about what makes you happy. What boosts your mood and gives you that “kick” of dopamine? “Focus on activities that genuinely resonate with you and make you feel better,” says Goldberg. “You don’t need to understand the brain chemistry of it; what matters is that you notice you feel good (or better than you did) during and especially after the activity.”
Then, grab a pen and paper and create categories. Similar to a food menu, yours will be broken up into sections based on “meals.” Write down the sections of your dopamenu—starters, sides, mains, and desserts—and have fun with it!
Finally, identify a few dopamine-boosting activities for each category. The distinction between activities classified as starters, sides, mains, and desserts is less about the amount of dopamine released and more about the activity itself—the level of involvement, time, and effort required is what sets them all apart, says Goldberg. More on this, per experts, below.
Starters
The starters on your dopamenu are quick activities you can easily implement into your routine, but they aren’t necessarily the main event, says Goldberg.
This could be anything from savouring your morning coffee to playing with your dog on your lunch break to singing your favourite song loudly in the car. “[Starters] are meant to quickly boost dopamine levels so you’re in a better place to be able to engage in a higher quality activity after,” McCabe says.
Starters can also be small and achievable tasks, like decorating your home or FaceTiming your long-distance bestie for a check-in, says Verhulst. “Achieving small, manageable daily tasks can be a great way to boost dopamine because it provides a sense of motivation and accomplishment.” Some ideas:
Taking your time doing your morning skincare routine
Savouring your morning coffee
Playing with your dog on your lunch break
Singing your favourite song loudly in the car
Going on a quick walk
Sides
Sides are activities you can add during mundane tasks that make what you’re doing more enjoyable, per Goldberg and McCabe. “Think of them as complimentary to your daily life,” Verhulst says. They may take a little thought and intention, but should be pretty easy to implement. Some examples include:
Lighting a scented candle as you WFH
Having a yummy snack
Listening to an audiobook or new playlist while deep cleaning your apartment
Drinking a hot tea or refreshing juice while cranking out your homework
Using your favourite pens while taking notes
Mains
Similar to your favourite dish, entrees are the “main course” of your dopamenu. These are typically longer and more effortful activities that bring joy, says Goldberg. Generally speaking, entrees result in a greater sense of fulfilment compared to the fleeting but more noticeable mood boosts from quicker activities, like starters or sides. Consider activities that truly fulfil you and give you plenty of dopamine, McCabe says, like:
Going to a Pilates or yoga class
Cooking your favourite meal
Going to the beach with your significant other
Having a long, hot bath or taking an “everything” shower
Finishing a book
Dessert
No dopamenu is complete without a little dessert or sweet treat. (These don’t necessarily have to be food- or drink-related, but they totally can be). In this case, it’s okay if your treat is a little mindless or not as rewarding, but it’s all about balance. Overdo it, and these activities might lose their impact, Goldberg says.
Your sweet treat can provide a quick boost, such as:
Watching an engaging show (Love is Blind, anyone?)
Scrolling through funny TikTok videos (in moderation—no doom scrolling here!)
Online shopping
Playing video games
Enjoying your favourite dessert
Or, it can be something that requires planning and builds positive anticipation, which can even enhance your mood leading up to the experience, says Goldberg. Examples include:
Jamming out at a concert or music festival you saved up for
Going on a camping trip with friends
Splurging on a spa treatment or hair appointment
Going to dinner and a show in the city
Taking a week-long holiday to a new destination
Once you have your dopamenu all set, keep it handy, whether that’s taped to your fridge, set as a reminder on your phone, or even with you in a notebook in your bag so you can have it ready for a rainy day or whenever you need a pick-me-up.
“Having a written list of pleasurable experiences to reference back and visualise can remind you to slow down, try new things, and prioritise your health and joy more—all of which your mind and body will thank you for,” says Verhulst.
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