Here’s The Deal With Dopamine Menus & Why Your Family Needs One
Make one for yourself, too, while you’re at it.
Have you seen dopamine menus on your social media feeds yet? If not, you will now that you’ve read this far (thanks, algorithms). Dopamine menus are basically a list of activities that make you happy and probably release some feel-good hormones in your brain. They’re formatted like menus — with starters, mains, sides, and desserts — to help you organize your joy-bringing activities by how much time they take or how often you should indulge in them. So, here’s the deal with dopamine menus, and why they might be a really great tool to have around for your whole family.
Why create a dopamine menu? Curating a list of things to do that are healthy and mood-boosting for you means that, when you have 20 minutes to kill in your day and want to spend it well, you don’t have to think much about where to devote that time. Otherwise, it’s all too easy to spend it scrolling on your phone again or snacking out of boredom — both of which also boost your brain’s dopamine, but maybe aren’t what you want to be doing every time the urge strikes.
When you’re ready to make your family’s dopamine menu, think about what activities make you all happy — giving the dogs a bath together, doing arts and crafts, or building a fort for movie night, for example. Consider how much time they all take. Are they starters (roughly 15 minutes or less) or mains (which need more time)? Are they “sides,” which you can do while finishing a task? Listening to a favorite podcast might go here. Once you get started, it’s actually pretty fun.
Are dopamine menus effective, or just another TikTok craze?
Unlike much of the health and wellness info on social media, experts actually kinda like the idea of dopamine menus. “Creating a dopamine menu or just a list of activities that spark joy for kids and the entire family is a great idea,” says Arista Rayfield, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist at Children’s of Alabama. You could make a menu that lists things the entire family likes to do, and each member could also have their own tailored to their interests.
On social media, dopamine menus are usually talked about as a tool for people with ADHD to get quick boosts of dopamine when their brain needs stimulation (without turning to Instagram and getting stuck in the scroll). Rayfield says listing out activities that make you feel good is wise for anyone to do but “is probably particularly helpful if a person has ADHD or another reason why shifting activities may be a challenge.” That said, she notes that it’s good practice for everyone.
If you’re making a menu for your whole family, Rayfield recommends coming up with the ideas to go on it together — “it helps get more buy-in from the kids.” I asked Rayfield if a dopamine menu could help parents reduce their kids’ screen time, and she said yes. Having a list of things your kid loves to do handy for them to choose from can help you redirect them to other sources of fun, if that’s important to you.
Free Printable Dopamine Menu Templates
If you're sold on the idea but don't know where to start with making one, try printing out one of these free dopamine menu templates. Since they're so similar, you could also just try a blank menu template if none of these are exactly what you're looking for.
Dopamine Menu Ideas & Inspiration
Staring down at an empty template now? Here are some ideas to fill in the blanks.
“A good menu is going to have activities that are diverse in time and availability. For example, playing basketball outside may be on the menu but may not be possible at night or when it is raining,” says Rayfield. “I would include calm activities like coloring, listening to music, and yoga as well as active tasks such as dancing, going for a walk, and playing tag or hide and seek.”
Other things that could work on a family dopamine menu include:
- Cooking a meal or baking together
- Driving to your nearest store so everyone can pick a special snack
- Listening to music or an audiobook together
- Arts and crafts time
- Sit outside in the sun
- Everyone works on their hobby in the same room
- Dance party, group stretch, or another way of moving your bodies
Once it’s all done, stick your dopamine menu on the fridge or somewhere else central in your home. Hopefully, it becomes a useful tool for your family to spend more time together doing things that bring you all joy.
