TikTok is obsessed with 'low-dopamine' mornings — but they're getting it wrong

• A growing trend on social media is morning routines thought to lower dopamine production.

• These "low-dopamine morning routines" involve avoiding your phone, doing house chores, and exercise.

• An expert told Insider the morning routine may not have basis in actual science.

A new type of morning routine is cropping up on TikTok that claims to draw inspiration from neuroscience: Meet the "low dopamine morning."

In a video uploaded by user Natasha Naples that has 2.6 million views, she claims there are benefits to participating in "low-dopamine activities" such as completing small household chores and avoiding technology  first thing in the morning.

"Empty out the dishwasher, make your bed, maybe tidy up the space a little bit. Do a small chore. This has changed everything for me,"Naples says, "and don't look at your damn phone for at least an hour."

Naples' video is one of many: The #lowdopaminemorning hashtag has garnered over 5.6 million views, with many users touting the benefits of avoiding phone usage first thing, while instead doing simple chores and other activities like sitting in the sun and eating a high protein breakfast.

The idea, users claim, is that whatever you do first thing in the morning will give your brain a dopamine hit that it will chase for the rest of the day. Avoiding that hit will make for a more productive, less distracted day.

But while a morning routine can certainly help get your day started on the right track, dopamine — or a lack thereof — is probably not the reason these routines feel good.

Morning routines can have great benefits, but not necessarily due to dopamine

It's no secret that the right morning routine can make all the difference when starting your day. But this may have more to do with other hormones flooding your brain than dopamine.

Cortisol, "the stress hormone," naturally rises when you wake up. Morning routines that focus on reducing stress first-thing in the morning can feel good and help us be more productive later on, psychologists told CNBC.

Meanwhile dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter, is involved in the experience of wanting. When we think about, or see, something we desire, this triggers a rise in dopamine.

Dopamine isn't inherently bad. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't have dopamine," said Kent Berridge, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of Michigan.

"Dopamine gave our ancestors that urge to find food, to find mates," he said, "and to do what needed to be done to survive."

These days, Berridge said, "dopamine can invigorate and make the world attractive and make our task attractive if it's something that we intrinsically want to do."

If we're genuinely excited about doing a chore, dopamine can help us achieve this goal. But dopamine can also lead us astray, Berridge explains, if there are other enticing activities we'd rather be doing.

We can't control when dopamine gets triggered

In Naples' video, she says that "if you get a dopamine hit right away, at the start of your day, you are priming your subconscious and your brain to be distracted all day."

This could be true for some people, Berridge said. Additionally, things we desire don't always make us feel good — like scrolling for hours on TikTok. In that case, putting distractions away - like your phone - and keeping them away may lend itself to greater focus.

Ultimately, Berridge said, we don't choose what triggers dopamine activity. "We'd love it to be turned on when we have to do tasks like exercise or focus on a chore. But it has its own rules."

If tasks like cleaning, taking a morning walk, or having a protein rich breakfast help you feel centered and alert before starting your day, keep doing them — but don't worry about your dopamine levels.

Read the original article on Insider