A drink designed to make you feel happier? Spectacular, give me 14 of them right now. You may have already heard of "dopamine dressing [1]" or "dopamine decor [2]," but allow us to introduce you to "dopamine drinks" — the latest neurotransmitter it-girl. These mood-boosting mocktails come prepared to replace the dregs of your last sleepy girl mocktail [3], so if you haven't already gotten on the functional mocktail bandwagon, now's the time.
Given the current state of the world [4], it's not entirely shocking that people are looking for a simple way to boost their mood. Indulging in an occasional cocktail might seem like the obvious solution, but content creators like Olivia Noceda say dopamine drinks are the better (and potentially more effective). "Did you know there's actually data showing a rise in dopamine from drinking mocktails?" Noceda asked in a January 2024 TikTok [5]. "The difference is, you actually wake up the next day feeling great." Better mood and no hangover? I'm listening.
In the case of dopamine drinks, it's less about following a specific recipe, and more about your intentions. Are you using ingredients that promote dopamine production? Are you enjoying your dopamine drink in a feel-good setting? To give you a better idea of how dopamine drinks work (and determine whether the trend is beginner-friendly), I attempted to create one myself, crafting a mood-boosting mocktail using ingredients in my own kitchen.
Read on to see how it turned out, and check out a few tips from RDs to help make your own dopamine drink more effective.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Melanie Murphy Richter [6], MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist at Wholistic Ritual and director of communications at nutrition tech company L-Nutra [7], Inc.
Pam Cho [8], MS, CNS, is an integrative clinical nutritionist with functional medicine company, Designs for Health [9].
How Do Dopamine Drinks Work?
"Many people today struggle with low dopamine due to chronic stress, poor sleep, ultra-processed foods, and constant digital stimulation," says registered dietitian nutritionist Melanie Murphy Richter, MS, RDN. The good news, according to integrative clinical nutritionist Pam Cho, MS, CNS, is that nutrition can help increase these dopamine levels. "Consuming nutrients that can lead to a boost in dopamine can [improve] your mood, motivation, increase your focus, memory, and help with learning," Cho says.
While there are certain ingredients that are especially effective for boosting dopamine (more on that in a minute), even the mere act of creating a dopamine drink is impactful. "Just the act of making and drinking a beverage you are looking forward to can boost dopamine release from the pleasure centers of the brain," Cho says. In other words, if you're excited about your dopamine drink, you're already on the right track.
What to Add to Your Dopamine Drink
To maximize the feel-good effects of your dopamine drink, it helps to know which foods boost dopamine. "Dopamine is made from the amino acid L-tyrosine, found in foods like almonds, pumpkin seeds, and bananas," Richter says. But eating foods with L-tyrosine isn't enough. You also need co-factors like B vitamins, magnesium, and iron to convert the amino acid into dopamine efficiently, Richter explains.
"The viral dopamine drink trend is fun, but if we're really looking to craft a mocktail that actually supports dopamine production, we need to get strategic," she says. That means using ingredients that "fuel the neurotransmitter pathways responsible for mood and motivation." Not sure where to start? Here's a few mood-boosting ingredients our experts recommend for more functional dopamine drinks:
- Unsweetened cacao or matcha: "Cacao contains flavonoids and PEA (phenylethylamine), which promote dopamine release, while matcha provides L-theanine to support dopamine stability and counteract depletion caused by stress," Richter says. Both would make a strong base for a dopamine drink.
- Banana puree: Bananas are a natural source of L-tyrosine, but it also contains B6, which is "essential for converting tyrosine into dopamine," Richter says.
- Himalayan salt: Salt provides trace minerals like magnesium and zinc, Richter says, both of which support dopamine metabolism and nerve signaling.
- Wild blueberries: Packed with antioxidants, these berries are "rich in polyphenols that protect dopamine-producing neurons from oxidative stress," Richter says.
- Tahini or almond butter: It might sound unusual to add into a drink, but for a functional dopamine drink, these ingredients are packed with healthy fats and L-tyrosine.
- L- theanine mixers: "L- theanine is a building block of dopamine [10], so the intake can help boost dopamine production," Cho says. You can find it in green, black, or rooibos tea, as well as certain adaptogen drinks [11] like Recess.
- Vitamin C: This nutrient "can help improve mood and is a building block to dopamine," Cho says. You can find it in fruits like oranges, berries, mango, papaya, and kiwi, all of which would add great flavor to a dopamine drink.
- Magnesium: "When we are stressed, dopamine gets used up," Cho says. "Consuming magnesium plays a role in protecting against the effects of stress." You can find it in magnesium-rich foods [12] like blackberries, papaya, and dark chocolate (a chocolate dopamine drink? Sign us up).
What to Avoid in Your Dopamine Drink
Now that you know what to add for a more effective dopamine drink, it's also important to know what not to include. Here's what experts say to avoid for the best results:
- Artificial sweeteners: Sweet drinks may taste amazing, but they're not the greatest when it comes to the feel-good effects. According to Richter, these quick sugar spikes can interfere with dopamine signaling, which might not be the best for your mood. To this point, Cho says that high amounts of sugar have also been linked to depression [13]. That said, if you enjoy the sweeter taste, you can try adding a natural sweetener like agave, as it's less likely to spike your blood sugar.
- Alcohol and caffeine: These common dopamine disruptors may feel like a given, but it's important to note that — while these ingredients can trigger a dopamine release, they can also create dependency, Cho says.
- Flavors you dislike: At the end of the day, you should always look forward to your dopamine drink. "Because Dopamine comes from the reward center, if you add ingredients that you are not a fan of, or are not looking forward to your mocktail, it can decrease the dopamine boost from the mocktail creation," Cho explains.
My Dopamine Drink
Intrigued by the concept of dopamine drinks, I set out to create my own. I'll admit I'm not much of a mixologist, but I do believe three years of sobriety turned me into something of a mocktail expert. To start, I picked a few functional ingredients recommended by Richter and Cho: blueberries and blackberries. I mashed these up into an aesthetically pleasing coupé glass (I believe presentation to be an essential part of the dopamine drink experience) and added a splash of lime juice for taste.
From here, I poured a black cherry Recess mood drink (which is packed with L-theanine and magnesium) into the glass. I strained the concoction, added a lemon garnish and said a silent prayer that this would boost my dopamine levels. The end result was surprisingly mild, a bit tart, and very much appreciated after a long day of work.
As a lover of sweet treats, I do think my dopamine drink would've been better with a bit of agave or simple syrup (added sugars be damned). I could've also kept the blackberries in the glass, straining only the blueberries for added flavor. Still, I can confirm that finding time to sip my dopamine drink did brighten up my day. And that's kind of the point, right? While you can make your mocktail more effective from a nutritional standpoint, indulging in the experience and creating a drink you genuinely look forward to is half the fun.
Should you try the trend yourself, don't expect to feel like a different person after the first sip. But if you're looking to cultivate more joy amidst all the ongoing chaos, I'll dopamine drink to that.
Chandler Plante [14] (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.
