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Biscuitmom requested that I supply articles which show and prove that dopamine jolts to the brain result from smartphones (and other devices) and are or can be addictive. There is addiction to texting, to use of the internet, use of social media, and gaming using smartphones, computers and tablets, but in red below, it explains why smartphone use is even more addictive because the smartphone is with a person at almost all times and so readily available.
Smartphone Addiction Now Has A Clinical Name
"A smartphone is just a more readily available access point to the Internet. My research has shown that the ease of access, availability, and portability makes it twice as addictive as other modalities," he said. "Convenience is the mother of addiction — the quicker you can get a hit back on the technology, the faster the intoxication."
"According to Dr. David Greenfield, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, an attachment to your smartphone is similar to other addictions in that it involves a dysregulation of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates the brain's reward center, meaning that it motivates people to do things they think they will be rewarded for doing."
"Researchers tell us that when we hear a notification sound on our phone informing us we have an email or text, our brain gets a hit of dopamine, a chemical that increases arousal and energizes the reward circuits in our brain. The dopamine reward centers in the brain are the same centers that have to do with pleasure from eating, from sex, and from drugs and alcohol.
Sometimes it is the expectation of a reward- that someone has texted you, or has tagged you on Facebook- that leads to a higher shot of dopamine than the reward itself. Another problem is that when the brain reward center is activated by that elevation in dopamine, it shuts down access to the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain responsible for most of our reasoning and decision-making. In addition, each time we look at social media or text or do anything else while behind the wheel and nothing bad happens, that reinforces our belief that we will be safe if we do it again.
David Greenfield, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry for the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, is the founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction. In a YouTube video entitled, “Why am I addicted to my smartphone?” Dr. Greenfield explains the similarity between the reinforcement our brain gets from those notifications on our smart phones and the reinforcement people get from slot machines, and how both can result in somewhat of an addiction."
"Experts say our brains get a hit of dopamine and serotonin – the chemicals linked to happiness – when our phones beep or ring. These are the same chemicals that give drug users their ‘high’!
We aren’t oblivious to our very real problem either – a recent opinion poll shows that 82% of the American public believe that smartphone addiction exists.
In fact, nomophobia (the fear of being without your mobile device) is now recognized as a serious issue – with rehab facilities available to help you deal with your problem!"
"James Roberts and Stephen Pirog, of Baylor and Seton Hall Universities, have recently published a study on the subject of cell phone addiction in The Journal of Behavioral Addictions noting that young adults send an average of 109.5 texts per day, and check their phones an additional 60 times."
"Our smartphones are affecting our brains without us even being aware of it. When we hear the ping of an incoming text, social media update or email, our brains get a hit of dopamine, a chemical that leads to an increase in arousal, energizing the reward circuitry in our brains. And that expectation of a reward -- Who's texting me? Who tagged me on social media? -- leads to a higher burst of dopamine than the reward itself."
"Next time your phone buzzes, and you reach for it expecting validation on social media or a news snippet, your dopamine levels will rise in anticipation. Once you have been properly rewarded with such information, a new pleasure-seeking habit is formed. In simple terms, this means that you are now hooked to your phone, and will wait in anticipation of rewards again and again."
"Much of what we do online releases dopamine into the brain's pleasure centers, resulting in obsessive pleasure-seeking behavior. Technology companies face the option to exploit our addictions for profit."
"It's not quite that simple. Thanks to neuroscience, we're beginning to understand that achieving a goal or anticipating the reward of new content for completing a task can excite the neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain, which releases the neurotransmitter dopamine into the brain's pleasure centers. This in turn causes the experience to be perceived as pleasurable. As a result, some people can become obsessed with these pleasure-seeking experiences and engage in compulsive behavior such as a need to keep playing a game, constantly check email, or compulsively gamble online. A recent Newsweek cover story described some of the harmful effects of being trapped in the compulsion loop."
"Most of us are attached to our smartphones at the hip — literally. In the digital age, roughly six out of seven billion of us own a mobile device, using it to talk, text, email, and even stream episodes of our favorite shows. This all seems to be harmless, habitual and automatic behavior that we hardly notice, but the popular gadget is doing a lot more to the mind and body than we think.
It can be hard to put our phones down because they tend to deliver bursts of dopamine — a neurotransmitter that affects our emotions, movement, and sensations of pleasure and pain. We achieve small goals when we play the game Candy Crush, for example. These achievements reward our brains with little bursts of dopamine. When we're rewarded with new content on the game, it creates a compulsion loop that has us coming back for more — this is the same loop that's responsible for the behaviors associated with nicotine or cocaine addiction."
"As a result, 93 percent of young people aged 18 to 29 report using their smartphones as a tool to avoid boredom, as opposed to doing so by reading books or spending time with friends. Others rely on their smartphones to appear busy or occupied so that they can avoid awkward social situations where they feel out of place. There’s even a term now to define the fear or anxiety of being without your phone — nomophobia.
Heavy cellphone use can also alter our brain function. Alpha rhythms are commonly associated with “wakeful relaxation” like when our mind wanders off, whereas gamma waves are associated with conscious attentiveness. Experiments have shown that when a cell phone transmits signals, like during a phone call, the power of these alpha waves significantly rises. This means phone transmissions can literally change the way our brains work."
"Dopamine is a chemical in the brain and is produced by the body. When something good happens to us, our brain releases a spurt of dopamine that acts like a little reward from the body. Dr. Greenfield notes that nomophobia, like many other addictions, occurs due to a dysregulation of dopamine associated with the use of our smartphones. “Every time you get a notification from your phone, there’s a little elevation in dopamine that says you might have something that’s compelling, whether that’s a text message from someone you like, an email, or anything,” Dr. Greenfield said in an interview with Business Insider. “The thing is you don’t know what it’s going to be or when you;re going to get it, and that’s what compels the brain to keep checking. It’s like the worlds smallest slot machine.”
Kent C. Berridge and Terry E. Robinson, What is the role of dopamine in reward: hedonic impact, reward learning, or incentive salience?: Brain Research Reviews, 28, 1998. 309–369.
Hi, I am BayAreaHillbilly and I am a recovering internet addict.
It all started about 25 years ago. I got a little taste. It tasted very good.
By about 15 years ago, I had a real problem. I was spending most of my waking hours on the web. I was cutting into sleep.
I hit rock bottom about 8 years ago.
I cannot go cold turkey due to my career. However, having hit rock bottom, I have developed strategies to cope with my issues.
I generally draw the line at any new technology that spies on me or that funnels information about my daily habits into some aggregating database. So, any "always-listening" digital assistant or device, not happening in my house. Or any internet-connected appliances, no thank you. I'm perfectly content with my free over-the-air tv antenna connected to my very not-smart tv, but I don't watch a ton anyway. And I have a penchant for old cars, so I keep driving well-kept vehicles from the 70s/80s. I just prefer having full control over what's going on in my car, no mysterious "black boxes" that control all the subsystems.
I'm quite technically literate though and keep up to date knowledge-wise. I think this is important to know what's out there, as this helps me make informed choices about what tech or features I do or don't want to have, plus I can optimize whatever benefit I'm getting from it while minimizing cost and privacy risk. I built my own higher end desktop computer and do use this a lot (but I'm stopping at Win7, Win8/10 is terrible in so many ways imho). And if I really want to I can find and watch any media I can think of. And I do have a smartphone but with no service, only wifi, though with the right apps it's every bit as functional as having paid service, just with no bill ever. But then I keep a cheap flip phone going for when I'm out and about away from wifi and need a call. Overall, I think willingly ignoring technology puts you at a disadvantage, but knowingly choosing what you do or don't need or want puts you in the best position.
See, you are actually far more advanced than the drones / masses who think the are tech savvy. The truly tech savvy go by that (now old and nearly forgotten) aphorism "do no evil." Too bad most tech does not follow this any more.
My Windows 98 Computer is right here by my side... and my Apple//e is boxed... spent way too much for it 35 years ago to simply toss it... several months wages!
There are hacks to get old Macs to work as web top devices.
Web sites look pretty weird because the rendering is not very sophisticated. Still, according to people who've done it, they work.
Who knows, it might even work with an older machine like yours.
Hi, I am BayAreaHillbilly and I am a recovering internet addict.
It all started about 25 years ago. I got a little taste. It tasted very good.
By about 15 years ago, I had a real problem. I was spending most of my waking hours on the web. I was cutting into sleep.
I hit rock bottom about 8 years ago.
I cannot go cold turkey due to my career. However, having hit rock bottom, I have developed strategies to cope with my issues.
The dopamine issue is real. I know.
I'm cutting back at home. I've had a busy work week, but I have more downtime than work some days. I probably write 3,000-4,000 words on C-D most days, and it's not healthy to be on the computer that much.
I walked several miles this evening, played a console game, and watched a movie. I'm often on the computer nearly fifteen hours a day during the work week. Simply put, the information deluge can be too much to process.
I've always been a late adopter, so I don't know if I've consciously called a halt to acquiring new technology -- as much as I just haven't adopted a given new technology -- because I don't need to and have no use for it yet. IF there's something I need to use it for then I will.
My NEWEST TV's are 15 years old, and all still anode? -- with a back sticking out a foot (they are cable ready though)
I don't need to Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook, or be on Pintrest. So I'm not. I will say that as of now I have no desire to learn any of those things. City Data is enough 'social media' for me.
I didn't get a computer until 2007 (and still have that same one). Until '07, I also didn't even have an email address. But I started looking for jobs and HAD to have both, so I got them. I still have a flip phone because mostly I just need a phone to be a phone, AND everyone around me has a smartphone, so if we need to use GPS or look something up on google, they do it. Sort of like I don't need to wear a watch if I can just ask people if they know what time it is.
I have a coworker -- 67 year old male -- who has no cell phone. (and doesn't watch TV)
My car is 11 years old and has none of the newer tech stuff of "today's" cars. Heck, I needed a loaner car from my dealership, and the darn thing was so "teched out" I had to literally sit there for five minutes figuring out the darn back up camera, satellite radio, GPS, etc. It wouldn't let me back up with the door open, took ITSELF out of gear, flashed when a car was in my blind spot -- AND when I changed lanes without a turn signal. Did I REALLY need all that info and stimulus -- just driving a dam(ned) car?
As it is now I'm looking for a new job in PR, and I know I'l likely not get hired or have to take a lower level job for less pay, because I really just don't WANT to learn any social media stuff. Right now, I'm just burned out and tired of all of it.
My car is 11 years old and has none of the newer tech stuff of "today's" cars. Heck, I needed a loaner car from my dealership, and the darn thing was so "teched out" I had to literally sit there for five minutes figuring out the darn back up camera, satellite radio, GPS, etc. It wouldn't let me back up with the door open, took ITSELF out of gear, flashed when a car was in my blind spot -- AND when I changed lanes without a turn signal. Did I REALLY need all that info and stimulus -- just driving a dam(ned) car?
If you figured all that out in five minutes, I'd say you are a genius. My car has all that and more (except for going out of reverse when a door is open) and I find it makes for safer driving. You need the info and you get used to the stimulus really quick. I hate going back to a car that doesn't have all the technology.
Biscuitmom requested that I supply articles which show and prove that dopamine jolts to the brain result from smartphones (and other devices) and are or can be addictive. There is addiction to texting, to use of the internet, use of social media, and gaming using smartphones, computers and tablets, but in red below, it explains why smartphone use is even more addictive because the smartphone is with a person at almost all times and so readily available.
Smartphone Addiction Now Has A Clinical Name
"A smartphone is just a more readily available access point to the Internet. My research has shown that the ease of access, availability, and portability makes it twice as addictive as other modalities," he said. "Convenience is the mother of addiction — the quicker you can get a hit back on the technology, the faster the intoxication."
"According to Dr. David Greenfield, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, an attachment to your smartphone is similar to other addictions in that it involves a dysregulation of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates the brain's reward center, meaning that it motivates people to do things they think they will be rewarded for doing."
"Researchers tell us that when we hear a notification sound on our phone informing us we have an email or text, our brain gets a hit of dopamine, a chemical that increases arousal and energizes the reward circuits in our brain. The dopamine reward centers in the brain are the same centers that have to do with pleasure from eating, from sex, and from drugs and alcohol.
Sometimes it is the expectation of a reward- that someone has texted you, or has tagged you on Facebook- that leads to a higher shot of dopamine than the reward itself. Another problem is that when the brain reward center is activated by that elevation in dopamine, it shuts down access to the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain responsible for most of our reasoning and decision-making. In addition, each time we look at social media or text or do anything else while behind the wheel and nothing bad happens, that reinforces our belief that we will be safe if we do it again.
David Greenfield, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry for the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, is the founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction. In a YouTube video entitled, “Why am I addicted to my smartphone?” Dr. Greenfield explains the similarity between the reinforcement our brain gets from those notifications on our smart phones and the reinforcement people get from slot machines, and how both can result in somewhat of an addiction."
"Experts say our brains get a hit of dopamine and serotonin – the chemicals linked to happiness – when our phones beep or ring. These are the same chemicals that give drug users their ‘high’!
We aren’t oblivious to our very real problem either – a recent opinion poll shows that 82% of the American public believe that smartphone addiction exists.
In fact, nomophobia (the fear of being without your mobile device) is now recognized as a serious issue – with rehab facilities available to help you deal with your problem!"
"James Roberts and Stephen Pirog, of Baylor and Seton Hall Universities, have recently published a study on the subject of cell phone addiction in The Journal of Behavioral Addictions noting that young adults send an average of 109.5 texts per day, and check their phones an additional 60 times."
"Our smartphones are affecting our brains without us even being aware of it. When we hear the ping of an incoming text, social media update or email, our brains get a hit of dopamine, a chemical that leads to an increase in arousal, energizing the reward circuitry in our brains. And that expectation of a reward -- Who's texting me? Who tagged me on social media? -- leads to a higher burst of dopamine than the reward itself."
"Next time your phone buzzes, and you reach for it expecting validation on social media or a news snippet, your dopamine levels will rise in anticipation. Once you have been properly rewarded with such information, a new pleasure-seeking habit is formed. In simple terms, this means that you are now hooked to your phone, and will wait in anticipation of rewards again and again."
"Much of what we do online releases dopamine into the brain's pleasure centers, resulting in obsessive pleasure-seeking behavior. Technology companies face the option to exploit our addictions for profit."
"It's not quite that simple. Thanks to neuroscience, we're beginning to understand that achieving a goal or anticipating the reward of new content for completing a task can excite the neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain, which releases the neurotransmitter dopamine into the brain's pleasure centers. This in turn causes the experience to be perceived as pleasurable. As a result, some people can become obsessed with these pleasure-seeking experiences and engage in compulsive behavior such as a need to keep playing a game, constantly check email, or compulsively gamble online. A recent Newsweek cover story described some of the harmful effects of being trapped in the compulsion loop."
"Most of us are attached to our smartphones at the hip — literally. In the digital age, roughly six out of seven billion of us own a mobile device, using it to talk, text, email, and even stream episodes of our favorite shows. This all seems to be harmless, habitual and automatic behavior that we hardly notice, but the popular gadget is doing a lot more to the mind and body than we think.
It can be hard to put our phones down because they tend to deliver bursts of dopamine — a neurotransmitter that affects our emotions, movement, and sensations of pleasure and pain. We achieve small goals when we play the game Candy Crush, for example. These achievements reward our brains with little bursts of dopamine. When we're rewarded with new content on the game, it creates a compulsion loop that has us coming back for more — this is the same loop that's responsible for the behaviors associated with nicotine or cocaine addiction."
"As a result, 93 percent of young people aged 18 to 29 report using their smartphones as a tool to avoid boredom, as opposed to doing so by reading books or spending time with friends. Others rely on their smartphones to appear busy or occupied so that they can avoid awkward social situations where they feel out of place. There’s even a term now to define the fear or anxiety of being without your phone — nomophobia.
Heavy cellphone use can also alter our brain function. Alpha rhythms are commonly associated with “wakeful relaxation” like when our mind wanders off, whereas gamma waves are associated with conscious attentiveness. Experiments have shown that when a cell phone transmits signals, like during a phone call, the power of these alpha waves significantly rises. This means phone transmissions can literally change the way our brains work."
"Dopamine is a chemical in the brain and is produced by the body. When something good happens to us, our brain releases a spurt of dopamine that acts like a little reward from the body. Dr. Greenfield notes that nomophobia, like many other addictions, occurs due to a dysregulation of dopamine associated with the use of our smartphones. “Every time you get a notification from your phone, there’s a little elevation in dopamine that says you might have something that’s compelling, whether that’s a text message from someone you like, an email, or anything,” Dr. Greenfield said in an interview with Business Insider. “The thing is you don’t know what it’s going to be or when you;re going to get it, and that’s what compels the brain to keep checking. It’s like the worlds smallest slot machine.”
Kent C. Berridge and Terry E. Robinson, What is the role of dopamine in reward: hedonic impact, reward learning, or incentive salience?: Brain Research Reviews, 28, 1998. 309–369.
For me it is the opposite... required to carry a company issued phone for company use only... no personal calls allowed.
When it rings my response is here we go again... it is always a problem that often requires immediate attention...
Nothing positive or associated with it in the least...
Yes. I draw the line at an Amazon Echo or iPhone. I want nothing that listens to me or talks back, period. Don't want a smart car or TV either. I have 2 laptops, Win 7. A Kindle, Kindle Fire, Fire Stick, and android LG smartphone. The last item has all I need on it as does the Kindle Fire. I love all these items dearly, but also read real books, watch DVDs, listen to am/fm radio and CDs, and try to not obcess over any of them.
Yes. I draw the line at an Amazon Echo or iPhone. I want nothing that listens to me or talks back, period. Don't want a smart car or TV either. I have 2 laptops, Win 7. A Kindle, Kindle Fire, Fire Stick, and android LG smartphone. The last item has all I need on it as does the Kindle Fire. I love all these items dearly, but also read real books, watch DVDs, listen to am/fm radio and CDs, and try to not obcess over any of them.
SmartTVs ... that spy on you. While not (yet) a government controlled portal, technologically speaking, the Telescreen is here.
SmartCars - with black boxes that stream data to your insurance company. Hack or alter it to stop the stream and your insurance vastly raises your rate or even drops you.
Your bank .... hates paper. They hate having you come in to deal with a person or increasingly, even an ATM. They want you on line. Great for them, in terms of headcount reduction. Then, the Russians hack in and take your money. Maybe on a day of Pearl Harbor-esque cyber war, they not only take your money, they take down your bank. They take down all banks. Too big to fail?
Our society has become technology crazed. People can't wait to spend more and more money on it. And businesses think it's a great idea to replace their whole customer service department with robots.
My favorite is the phone-answering robot.
Robot: Hello!! What can I do for you today?
Me: I want to pay my bill.
Robot: Sorry, I didn't quite get that. Please explain in just a few words what you would like to do.
Me: PAY BILL PAY BILL PAY BILL.
Robot: I am sorry, let's try again. You can say things like "Pay by credit card," "Pay by debit card," "Pay by check."
Me: I want to PAY BY DEBIT CARD.
Robot: Sorry, I am still not understanding you. What would you like me to help you with?
Me: PAY BY DEBIT CARD DAMMIT.
Robot: Ok, I think I got it. You want to terminate your phone service, immediately. Is that correct?
Me: NO NO NO YOU IDIOT!!
Robot: Ok, your phone service is now terminated. We will be sending you a $500 termination fee. Have a nice day!
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(they are cable ready though
