Monday, March 20, 2017

Addicted to your phone? Get into action!

Technology addiction expert, Dr. David Greenfield refers to smartphones as “the world’s smallest slot machine", explaining that just as alike these small machines operate on a variable reinforcement schedule highly addictive and neurobiological explaineded.

Addiction is a condition that results from ingestion of a substance (ex: alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, cafeine, ...) or from engaging in an activity (ex:, gambling, sex, shopping,..) that can be pleasurable but the continuation of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary responsibilities and concerns, such as work, relationships, or health. People who developed an addiction may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others. 


With the internet, twitter, facebook and many more, it is easy to get almost instant gratification for the desire to seek. 
Want to talk to someone right away? Send a text and they respond in a few seconds. Want to look up some information? Just type your request into google… 

It’s SO easy to get in a dopamine induced loop. 
Dopamine starts you seeking, then you get rewarded for the seeking which makes you seek more, becoming harder and harder to stop looking at email, stop texting, or stop checking your cell phone to see if you have a message or a new text.


So, what to do? Here is a good reading and tips on how to outsmart your smartphone by using technology to limit your technology use. You might also consider the very basics such as getting your phone out of the bedroom and putting yourself on a digital diet.  

Not enough? Then take a more extreme course of action and consider Daniel Sieberg's strategy; get drastic with a digital detox - check it out and decide on a few steps you can NOW and get started.