Why is it so difficult to stop using our phones? Trevor Haynes explains that social media has mastered the art of hijacking our brains to create the sense of being rewarded. In ‘normal’ life, we feel rewarded after positive social interactions thanks to the chemical dopamine. To keep us checking our social media apps, these companies employ various tactics to keep us in a constant stream of validation (and thus, dopamine); for example, Instagram will sometimes withhold “likes” on your photos to deliver them in larger bursts when you check the app later. Read full article here
