The Dopamine Index
A structured evidence database: one entry per thing people say affects dopamine — apps, substances, habits and activities. Each entry separates human evidence from animal evidence, states what the research supports and what it does not, and carries an evidence grade.
No entry publishes a “dopamine percentage” unless a study actually measured it — and then we say exactly what was measured, where, and in whom. Where the evidence does not exist, the entry says Evidence currently insufficient.
27 entries
| Entry | Section | Grade | What the grade means |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADHD medication | Focus | B | Good human evidence with limitations |
| Alcohol | Habits | A | Multiple high-quality human studies |
| Antidepressants | Health | B | Good human evidence with limitations |
| Caffeine | Health | B | Good human evidence with limitations |
| Cannabis | Habits | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Chocolate | Health | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
| Coffee | Health | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
| Cold showers | Health | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Exercise | Health | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Fasting | Health | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Gambling | Habits | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Gaming | Digital Life | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Digital Life | C | Limited or observational human evidence | |
| Love | Habits | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Meditation | Focus | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Music | Habits | B | Good human evidence with limitations |
| Nicotine | Habits | B | Good human evidence with limitations |
| Pornography | Habits | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Running | Health | C | Limited or observational human evidence |
| Sauna | Health | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
| Sex | Habits | D | Primarily animal or mechanistic evidence |
| Shopping | Habits | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
| Sleep | Focus | B | Good human evidence with limitations |
| Sugar | Health | D | Primarily animal or mechanistic evidence |
| TikTok | Digital Life | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
| Weight training | Health | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
| YouTube | Digital Life | ? | Evidence currently insufficient |
The Brief
Understand your brain a little better each week.
Join The Brief from dopamine.co.uk. Free. No spam, no supplements, no selling your address. Unsubscribe in one click.