Have you seen the dopamine menu on social media? If not, you’ve read this far (thanks to the algorithm). The dopamine menu is basically a series of activities that make you happy and may release some feel-good hormones in your brain. They’re formatted like a menu—with appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts—to help you organize your fun activities based on how long they take or how often they should be done. So, that’s about dopamine menus and why they might be a really great tool for the whole family to use.
Why create a dopamine menu? Making a list of things that are healthy and mood-boosting for you means that when you have 20 minutes a day to kill and want to make the most of it, you don’t have to think too much about where to spend your time. Otherwise, you’ll easily end up spending time scrolling on your phone again or snacking out of boredom—both of which also increase dopamine in your brain but may not be what you want to do every time the urge strikes.
When you’re ready to create a dopamine menu for your family, consider what activities would make you both happy—for example, bathing the dog together, doing arts and crafts, or building a fort for movie night. Consider how much time they all take. Are they appetizers (about 15 minutes or less) or entrees (which take more time)? Are they “sides” that you can do while completing a task? Listen to your favorite podcasts probably here. Once you get started, it’s actually pretty fun.
Does the Dopamine menu work, or is it just another TikTok craze?
Unlike a lot of health information on social media, experts actually kind of like the idea of a dopamine menu. “It’s a good idea to create a dopamine menu or just a series of activities that bring joy to the child and the entire family,” says Dr. Arista Layfield, a licensed clinical psychologist at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. You can create a menu of things the whole family likes to do, or each member can customize their own menu based on their interests.
On social media, dopamine menus are often cited as a tool for people with ADHD to get a quick boost of dopamine when their brains need stimulation (without having to turn to Instagram and get stuck scrolling). Layfield says making a list of activities that make you feel good is a smart move for anyone, but “it can be especially helpful if a person has ADHD or if changing activities for other reasons can be a challenge.” Still, she noted it’s good practice for everyone.
If you’re creating a menu for the whole family, Rayfield recommends coming up with some co-creation ideas—”it helps get more buy-in from the kids.” I asked Rayfield if dopamine menus could help parents reduce When it comes to screen time for her kids, she says it’s okay. If this is important to you, making a list of things your children like to do for them to choose from can help you redirect them to other sources of fun.
Free Printable Dopamine Menu Template
If you’re interested in this idea but don’t know where to start, try printing one of these free dopamine menu templates. Since they are very similar, you can also try a blank menu template if none of these are what you are looking for.
Dopamine Menu Ideas and Inspiration
Now looking down at an empty template? Here are some ideas to fill in the gaps.
“A good menu should include a variety of activities in terms of time and availability. For example, playing basketball outdoors may be on the menu, but may not be available at night or when it rains,” Rayfield said. “I would include calming activities like coloring, listening to music, and yoga, as well as active activities like dancing, walking, and playing tag or hide-and-seek.”
Other things that can work on your home dopamine menu include:
- Cook or bake together
- Drive to the nearest store so everyone can pick up specialty snacks
- Listen to music or audiobooks together
- arts and crafts time
- sit outside and bask in the sun
- Everyone is in the same room pursuing their own hobbies
- Dance party, group stretching, or other way to move your body
Once you’re all done, post the dopamine menu on your refrigerator or other central location in your home. Hopefully it will be a useful tool for your family to spend more time together doing things that bring you joy.
