Dopaminergic Desensitisation: What Is the Stimulant Ceiling?
“Dopamine is about novelty and surprise, we are in constant pursuit of it. It’s the molecule from motivation to action… but, below baseline levels of dopamine, that’s when life feels flat.” - Andrew Huberman in conversation with Chris Williamson
Written by: Pippa Thackeray
Written on: August 25, 2025
Pippa is a content writer and qualified Nutritional Therapist (DipNT) creating research-based content with a passion for many areas of wellbeing, including hormonal health, mental health and digestive health.
As a contributor to The Healf Source, she regularly attends seminars and programmes on a plethora of contemporary health issues and modern research insights with a drive to never stop learning. In addition, interviewing experts and specialists across The Four Pillars: EAT, MOVE, MIND, SLEEP.
In her spare time, she is an avid swimmer, mindfulness and yoga lover, occasionally bringing a raw, honest approach to the topics she faces. You may also discover some personal accounts of eye-opening wellbeing experiences amidst the reality of a disorientating, and often conflicting, modern wellbeing space.
- 1. Why we have dopamine
- 2. Serotonin, dopamine, what’s the difference?
- 3. What is the stimulant ceiling?
- 4. Why we might need to ‘manage’ our dopamine
- 5. Has dopamine fasting been taken too far?
- 6. Stress can grow you, but it should not be your only teacher
- 7. What should I do instead of constant dopamine seeking?
- 8. What does Huberman suggest?
- 9. What do the studies say?
- 10. Can I engage in ‘self-improvement’ content on a dopamine detox?
- 11. The bottom line
