Bryan Johnson's Social Media Fast
Written by Bryan Johnson • 10.26.2026
I’ve cut my social media use by 50% and I feel 100% better.
I recently did a 7-day social media fast. It felt like the most effective longevity therapy I’ve done.
Everything got better:
- mood
- sleep
- energy
- presence
- judgment
- relationships
- optimism
- exercise performance
- mental clarity
Evidence shows a 7-day fast produces a reduction in anxiety (16%), depression (25%), and insomnia (15%).
The effects felt bigger.
Conversely, dipping back in, I can viscerally feel that my body metabolizes social media similarly to a fast-food meal, corrosive relationship, hangover, and sleep deprivation. My body hates it.
The protocol
I abstained from all social media for 7 days.
That meant no:
- X
- TikTok
- YouTube
I could listen to:
- audiobooks
- podcasts
I’ve previously done 40-hour and 70-hour social media fasts. Same rules.
What I learned
Day 1 was awkward in the first few minutes. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Once I settled in, it was a kid-like experience. Unstructured, open play with no expectations from the world.
I noticed more things around me. I noticed more of my own thoughts. More of my emotions.
By day 7, I never wanted to be on social media again.
After the previous fasts, I wrote that social media is pollution. Not a vice or guilty pleasure. It’s closer to water toxins, air pollution, and microplastics.
This time, the major insight was that social media is a form of intoxication.
Alcohol is honest intoxication. It clearly tells you what it’s taking from you. Social media, on the other hand, does not disclose itself as an intoxicant.
It produces the sensation of being informed, engaged, and connected while quietly evacuating your capacity for depth and independent thought.
You don’t feel drunk. You feel current. But evidence shows that it causes your brain to shrink. The impairment is real, but you can’t feel it. Making it the more dangerous type.
Until I took a break, I was unaware of how much cognitive space social media was occupying.
The vast majority of social media is junk food. The timeline and comments are flooded with rage, meanness, and slop. Terribly unhealthy for anyone.
It makes me grateful for the few voices who are genuinely positive and constructive in their presence.
What you can do
If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to try a social media fast. Even if for one day.
Tips:
- replace social media time with something valuable to you: outside activities, new hobbies, quiet time, reading, exercise, time with friends, sleep.
- notice how you feel.
