The Internet is like a drug. The more you use it, the more you need it.
The average person spends about 3 hours a day on their phone. That’s 11 years over the course of a life.
How does your screen time stack up?
If you’re addicted to electronics, the first step is recognition. New York University psychology professor Adam Alter has likened heavy internet use to drug addiction since both habits can alter brain chemicals like endorphins and dopamine. This activates the reward centers in your brain, which is the reason you keep refreshing Facebook (or Twitter or Insta).
When you have an addiction, you aren’t attached to the substance or activity itself. You’re addicted to the experience you have. That means the key to putting down your phone (or tablet, or videogame console) is to replace the activity with something even better.
Need a few ideas to get started? Check out our Instaread on Irresistible.
