According to Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, the average Brit checks their phone every 12 minutes. For many of us, it's the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night. It's a nagging, persistent compulsion, driven by molecules in our brains.
One molecule in particular is usually blamed for this kind of behaviour: dopamine. The neurotransmitter has been nicknamed the 'feel-good' molecule due to its role in the brain's reward system. But it's not just about pleasure dopamine receptors in the brain also get a hit with the anticipation of something pleasurable. And that's what keeps us checking our phones.
Mobile games and social media apps are designed to maintain that compulsion.
Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University. She believes that the smartphone is akin to a hypodermic needle, delivering an endless supply of 'digital dopamine' to billions of users.
This story is from the December 2023 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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This story is from the December 2023 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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