As we are exposed to more ways to achieve instant gratification via social media, online shopping and processed foods, the brain centres that influence motivation and reward become conditioned to seek the easiest ways to get a hit. Dopamine spikes have become the new norm for many.
“Dopamine is a neurotransmitter: a chemical messenger produced by the brain, that plays a central role in motivation, reward and learning,” explains Dr Lara Foresi, a psychiatrist at Thrive Wellbeing Centre. “Dopamine is at the core of the brain’s reward system, helping us assign value to experiences. It helps our brain understand what actions are worth repeating and what habits are worth strengthening in our lives.”
Naturally, dopamine rises and falls throughout the day. It increases when we wake up, hear a favourite song, eat a good meal, receive good news and make meaningful social connections.
Modern life and technology, however, affect dopamine by increasing spikes throughout the day, meaning drops in the chemical during lulls or quieter periods can feel like boredom that needs to be rectified immediately rather than accepted.
To counteract this increasing reliance on instant gratification, a slow dopamine movement is gaining prominence online, with proponents speaking about the methods they rely on to “rewire” their brains and change their routines, with experts backing many of their suggestions.
These include hobbies and interests that allow for a slow release of dopamine, not only to avoid constant highs and lows throughout the day, but also to enable the brain to form habits that strengthen and nourish over time rather than only in the short term.
“Dopamine doesn’t just respond to pleasure; it responds most strongly when we earn a reward through effort, challenge or persistence,” says Dr Fatma Ezzat, a specialist psychiatrist at RAK Hospital. “Neuroscience shows that the brain’s reward circuits fire more intensely when success follows hard work.”
Here are five expert-backed suggestions to introduce slow dopamine into your life.
Read a book
Providing structured, achievable micro-goals such as finishing a chapter or trying to work out a plot twist, reading allows for a slow, steady release of dopamine, helping to retrain your brain’s reward system by focusing on sustained gratification over time.
“In a world dominated by instant notifications, endless scrolling and social media, reading has become one of the most important ways for people to regain mental calm and slow down the pace of life,” says Ali Juma Al Tamimi, director of libraries at Mohammed Bin Rashid Library. “Reading gives the mind an opportunity for deep focus and reflection, away from the rapid flow of digital content.”
Enthusiasts can hold themselves to reading accountability by joining a book club or starting one with like-minded friends, while Emirates Literature Foundation runs book clubs for adults, children and teenagers with in-person and Zoom meetups throughout the year.
Learn a new craft
Learning a new hobby or returning to an old favourite is an easy way to achieve a slow dopamine release, as the rewards for your effort unfold over time.
The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding in Dubai hosts seasonal programmes, each at a small cost, where participants can learn regional and historical traditions such as Arabic calligraphy and Finjan cup painting. Thread Werk runs sewing and crochet classes for beginners, intermediate and children in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, along with dressmaking and alteration sessions, with online classes also available.
“An earned‑reward effect strengthens neural pathways linked to persistence and resilience, making us more likely to pursue meaningful goals rather than passive pleasures,” says Dr Ezzat. “It also creates a deeper sense of self‑worth and competence, because the dopamine surge is tied not just to the outcome, but to the effort invested. In this way, dopamine rewards progress, learning and mastery, shaping the human preference for achievements that feel deserved rather than simply received.”
Cook a meal from scratch
Cooking or baking is the ideal way to slow down. From dicing to stirring, the act requires both physical and mental effort and concentration, and the reward of sitting down to mindfully eat results in an additional dopamine release.
“By investing in effort-based activities, creative work, human connection, physical challenge and learning, we train our brain to find satisfaction in depth rather than speed,” says Dr Foresi.
For those new to cooking, ingredient delivery services can take some of the stress away with their step-by-step instructions, while there are plenty of cooking classes for beginners and experts across the UAE. Ecole Ducasse Abu Dhabi Studio offers cooking classes for all skill levels, as does the International Centre for Culinary Arts in Dubai. Looking to ease your way in? Bakers Kitchen at Al Wasl in Dubai offers four-hour sourdough making classes.
Go for a walk
Running clubs and weekend hikes are popular UAE pastimes, but sometimes a simple stroll, especially as temperatures rise, is the easier and more accessible option. Walking around your local community as well as on well-trodden park trails not only gets you out and about in nature, but also naturally increases blood flow to trigger a steady, sustained release of dopamine and serotonin.
“Exercise is repeatedly highlighted as a powerful behavioural intervention,” says Dr Ezzat. “This is because it promotes steady dopamine release, improves mood regulation, supports neuroplasticity and helps restore balance in the reward system disrupted by chronic overstimulation.”
Play a board game
The antithesis of gaming, which offers instant dopamine hits with fast-moving animation and bright colours, traditional board games encourage patience, communication and quality time.
“With board games the slowing down happens without you even trying,” says Kitty Barbara Uijleman, founder of Desert Meeples Board Game Club. “You sit down, the board comes out, and your brain has to choose between tomorrow’s meeting and the game in front of you. The game usually wins. People come in exhausted and leave genuinely refreshed. Not because anything changed, but because their mind got a real break.”
Board-game nights are easy to host at home, and there are a handful of cafes across the UAE offering access to games you might not have seen before, including Unwind Speciality Boardgame Cafe in Hessa and Zabeel in Dubai, Racks Board Game Cafe in Sharjah and DNA Board Games Cafe in Abu Dhabi.
The activity is also beneficial for children as “they have to follow shared rules, make decisions that affect others and handle the outcome”, says Meeples. “Losing gracefully, waiting your turn, adjusting your plan when someone outsmarts you – these sound like small things, but they’re how you learn to navigate the world.”
Visit a library
“Today, modern libraries have evolved into integrated spaces for mental relaxation and quiet cultural interaction,” says Al Tamimi. “At the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, visitors find a unique experience that combines inspiring architecture, visual serenity and open spaces dedicated to reflection, reading and creative work. This makes visiting the library itself an escape from the noise of everyday life.”
UAE libraries host an array of cultural activities, talks and workshops for all ages throughout the year. The Dubai Public Libraries Instagram page contains updated information on events across the emirate, while Maktaba, part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, is where you can find all library-based events in the capital.
“Joining a library creates a more organised relationship with time and knowledge,” says Al Tamimi. “When the library becomes a regular part of life, visiting it turns into a peaceful ritual that gives individuals space to temporarily disconnect from everyday pressures.”
