Why Can’t You Stop Checking Your Phone?

Why do you keep checking your phone, even when there’s nothing new? It’s not a lack of willpower. It’s a trick your brain fell for long before smartphones existed. In this video: a hungry pigeon in a 1950s lab, monkeys whose brains lit up before the reward arrived, the designer who regrets inventing pull-to-refresh, and a study showing that a silent, face-down phone still drains your focus. And what actually works to break the loop. 📚 Sources & further reading Ferster, C. B. & Skinner, B. F. (1957). Schedules of Reinforcement. Schultz, W., Dayan, P. & Montague, P. R. (1997). A neural substrate of prediction and reward. Science. Fiorillo, C. D., Tobler, P. N. & Schultz, W. (2003). Discrete coding of reward probability and uncertainty by dopamine neurons. Science. Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain Drain: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. Drouin, M., Kaiser, D. H. & Miller, D. A. (2012). Phantom vibrations among undergraduates. Computers in Human Behavior. dscout (2016). Mobile Touches: A study on how humans use technology. Schüll, N. D. (2012). Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas. 👉 Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next one. #psychology #dopamine #smartphone