According to Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, the average Brit checks their phone every 12 minutes. For many of us, it’s the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night. It’s a nagging, persistent compulsion, driven by molecules in our brains.
One molecule in particular is usually blamed for this kind of behaviour: dopamine. The neurotransmitter has been nicknamed the ‘feel-good’ molecule due to its role in the brain’s reward system.
But it’s not just about pleasure – dopamine receptors in the brain also get a hit with the anticipation of something pleasurable. And that’s what keeps us checking our phones.
Mobile games and social media apps are designed to maintain that compulsion.
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Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University. She believes that the smartphone is akin to a hypodermic needle, delivering an endless supply of ‘digital dopamine’ to billions of users.
“Digital media activates the same part of our brains as drugs and alcohol, releasing dopamine,” says Lembke. “With repeated use, our brains adapt by downregulating dopamine transmission.” Which they can do by shrinking their dopamine receptors.
“With enough ongoing exposure, our brains enter a dopamine deficit state, characterised by depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritability and craving. Once that happens, we’re reaching for digital media, not as a tool to accomplish a specific task… but to get out of the dopamine deficit state and stop feeling bad.”
Behavioural addictions like compulsive social media use are the subject of much debate. There are some who don’t believe they should be discussed on a par with substance abuse because, while using digital media does increase the release of dopamine, it does so by far lower amounts than cocaine or methamphetamines.
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Addicted or not, we Brits spend on average four hours a day on our phones. Most of us would probably like to claw some of that time back. So, can we use our knowledge of the brain’s reward system to loosen the smartphone’s grip on us? Possibly…
One idea you may have heard about (on Instagram or TikTok, ironically) is dopamine fasting.
It’s a form of meditation or cognitive behavioural therapy, a practice by which you try to limit compulsive urges and change behaviours. The idea is that you consciously cut yourself off from the things you’re overstimulated by – social media, for example – for a short time.
Proponents claim that a brief period of abstinence allows them to better engage with the things they actually like while developing a healthier relationship with technology. Critics, however, warn that there’s little evidence to support the claims.
Even so, researchers whose work looks at excessive social media use often agree that some kind of digital detox may be a good thing.
“I’m a strong advocate of social media fasting,” says Daria Kuss, a psychiatrist and professor of psychology at Nottingham Trent University. “A weekend of it may help reset behaviours in such a way that the habitual use of social media may be broken.”
“My research shows that spending time with friends and family outside of social media, in the offline world, creates positive emotions, strengthens bonding experiences and feelings of connection,” Kuss says. “Meeting a friend for coffee may therefore be a more positive experience than chatting with them on Messenger.”
About our experts
Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University and author of the book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. Her research has been published in The American Journal of Therapeutics, The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse and The British Medical Journal.
Daria Kuss is a professor of psychology at Nottingham Trent University and author of the book Internet addiction – Evidence-based Practice in Psychotherapy. Her research has been published in The Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, Psychopathology and Frontiers in Psychology.
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