13 -The dopamine slot machine we call our cell phone
Cell phones are pretty cool devices! My first cell phone was a flip phone (not a Razor, I was not that cool). All this phone was capable of doing was make phone calls and that was pretty amazing. The minute I got a phone I knew it represented freedom. I now had endless connection to my friends through texting and calling. Then as I entered college came the ability to access the internet, it became a great camera, GPS, and so on. Eventually, the cell phone became what it is now. It’s a small computer that we can put in our pockets. And yes, the saying my math teacher would say, “You won’t always have a calculator in your pocket” is now so untrue. Plus I also can search the internet and put in that math problem and get an answer.
All this to say, cell phones have become such a pivotal part of our lives now. Some can hardly think about leaving their home without it, let alone not have it within arm's distance. We now have the ability to scroll through social media and be entertained by short reals as we wait in line for our coffee. It’s a way for people to turn off their brains and check out, be connected to a loved one, or have a quick laugh at a cat video. These are all good and well, but what you might not be thinking about is that our phones are despending dopamine to our brains just like a slot machine in a casino.
For this illustration, I will use TikTok as my example, but Instagram reels, or Facebook Stories are interchangeable here. Scenario: you are scrolling through your For You Page and swiping through videos. You stop and fully watch a video that catches your attention, maybe you laugh. Here you receive your first hit of dopamine (if you don’t what dopamine is, it’s one of those feel-good neurotransmitters). You keep scrolling and scrolling until you stop and fully watch another video that once again gives you a laugh, next hit dopamine. You do this on and on until you either fall asleep, something else grabs your attention, or you have to put your phone down.
Now let me describe playing a slot machine. You sit down at the machine, put in your money, and pull the lever. Maybe you make a little money (dopamine hit) and so you put in a little more money and pull the lever again. This time you get even more money (bigger dopamine hit). You do this on and on until you either run out of money or you start losing and the dopamine is not as strong anymore.
In both of these scenarios you are initially receiving a little dopamine that makes your brain go, “That’s nice, I want more of that.” So we indulge more. The more we keep gambling for another funny video or winning money it keeps us motivated to stick with what we are doing. Additionally, social media sites, just like casinos, want to keep you engaged as long as possible. So they are trying to learn what you like so you keep swiping.
As you can imagine, having such easy access to our phones and endlessly being able to receive those dopamine hits can be detrimental. So what can you do to help yourself out in the future?
Set time limits on your phone: Most phones these days have an option in your system setting to set time limits on your phone in general or just apps. Setting screen time limits can help you slowly reduce the time you are on your phone and will give you reminders when you are about to hit your limit and when you have reached your allotted time. The hardest part about this option is respecting the time limit you set for yourself and not choosing to ignore it.
Charge your phone away from your bed: This can feel very difficult for some, but charging your phone on the other side of the room or even in another room (most ideal). Doing this can be a real game changer for your sleep. Doing so can help you not endlessly scroll until you fall asleep and will limit the tendency to pick up and start scrolling first thing in the morning.
Move social media apps off of your home page and remove notifications: Having the app tiles not be the first thing you see when you open up your phone can help you not engage in mindless scrolling. Moving your apps to your second page and in a folder can put some barriers up and could help reduce the chances that you might mindlessly open and start scrolling.
I encourage you to increase your mindfulness about your phone use and ask yourself how intentional you are being with your phone. Nothing is wrong with using your phone and enjoying the endless content of social media and the internet. However, I rather you feel like you are making a choice to engage intentionally vs subconsciously pulling the lever of the dopamine slot machine that is our phones.