About this episode

This episode explores the dopamine decor trend through the lens of pleasure activism and its implications for millennials and beauty in challenging times.

Is your FYP and Instagram feed full of brightly colored decorations, furniture, and art? Are you finding yourself drawn to funky shaped furniture, maximalism, and painted doors? Boy do we have the episode for you! Today, Marcelle leads us through a conversation all about the “dopamine decor” trend! Through adrienne maree brown’s theory of pleasure activism, she and Hannah unpack dopamine science, homeownership amongst millennials, and why we turn to beauty when the world is hard. Related listening: Dopamine x Health Capitalism with Jesse Meadows Athleisure x Optimization with Anne Helen Peterson Pixar x Affective Economics Works Cited: brown, adrienne maree. Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good . Chico, CA: AK Press, 2019. Cancilla, Julia. “The Surprising Science Behind the Dopamine Decor Trend.” ELLE Decor. December 20, 2024. https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/a63250266/dopamine-decor-trend/ . Accessed August 4, 2026. Cullinane, Alice. 2025. “Dopamine Decor: Why People Are Getting a Happiness Hit from Homes.” BBC News. December 14, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg2j5l4q7wo . Accessed August 4, 2026. Lee, Ingrid Fetell. “Does Dopamine Decor…

People in this episode

Host: Marcelle

Guest: Hannah

Topics covered

• dopamine decor
• pleasure activism
• homeownership
• millennials
• maximalism
• beauty in hardship

Keywords

• dopamine decor
• pleasure activism
• maximalism
• homeownership
• millennials
• interior design
• beauty
• furniture trends

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Witch, Please Productions, ELLE Decor, BBC News, The Aesthetics of Joy, Government of Canada

Books & works: Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good

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