Irresistible

Irresistible reveals how alarmingly stuck to our devices we are, shows the negative consequences of technology addiction, and gives tips for a healthier relationship with the digital world.

When I say the word addiction, you most likely think of drug or alcohol abuse. Recently, though, scientists are finding that some activities we engage in can affect the brain in a similar way to those more severe addictions.

In all of these cases, our habitual actions result in the release of dopamine. This signals intense pleasure in the brain. But the problem is that the enjoyment we get out of the action decreases each time we do it.

When you’re trying to get that hit from scrolling endlessly through social media, you are constantly seeking more pleasure. But the dopamine release you get from it grows smaller the more you swipe up to see more of your feed. Thus you develop a habit, or in other words, an addiction.

Although you might not readily see them, the negative affects of this are prevalent. Poor sleep is just one example. The light from our phones signals our bodies that it’s time to be awake, so we stay awake. When we use them in our beds, it tells our mind that the bed is a place to be conscious, not to fall asleep.

But there is some good news. Even though our addictions to technology are similar to how a drug addiction may occur, they are easier to break because they are less intense. We’ll take a closer look at this in lesson three, but first let’s look at another way our connectedness harms us.

Just now while writing this summary, I got an email notification on my phone. I quickly slid it open to see what it was and answer it. Before I knew it 10 minutes had gone by. If it weren’t for the topic of this lesson, I might now have gotten back to work so quickly. Research shows that up to 70 percent of emails are read within just six seconds. We’d like to think this means we’re being ultra-productive, but it’s actually the opposite. Just like my experience while writing this summary, whenever we get an email we have to stop. And estimates say that the time it takes us to get back into deep work after a distraction at 25 minutes! That means that for the average employee who checks their email 25 times a day, they will never get to the point of complete focus. We feel good when we check email so quickly because it gives us a small win, but the cost is far higher than anyone realizes. Instead, turn off email notifications completely…