Guess how far the average person scrolls in a lifetime: about 3,400 miles. That's roughly the distance between New York and London if you fly over the Atlantic Ocean!
Crazy, right?
We stick to our phones all the time for immediate pleasure. Some of us even wake up at 3 AM to check if that special one has responded. Obsessions can get cruel.
Many of us are glued to smartphones in lines, parks, at dinner parties—everywhere. Waiting for likes and sharing reels. It's all thanks to dopamine, the so-called pleasure hormone.
There's a way out of the infinite scrolling loop. Let's look at how social media turns us into dopamine junkies and how it affects our well-being. Plus, prepare for a list of eight actionable techniques that will help you eliminate this harmful habit.
What Is Dopamine and How It Affects Your Well-Being
"Nice outfit!"
"You look gorgeous."
"Love your haircut ❤️"
Comments like these make your heart skip a beat: "They see me! I exist!" But do they make your life better? Or is it just a dopamine spike?
Dopamine is a biologically active substance produced in your brain mainly by neurons and, to a lesser extent, by adrenal cells. Dopamine is responsible for the anticipation of pleasure. It develops when your brain wants immediate, quick rewards. Say you're snacking on popcorn on a Friday night. And it makes you feel so good that you would expect the same pleasure the following Friday.
Scientific research shows that some drugs also cause sharp surges of dopamine. This reinforces the connection between consumption, the pleasure received, and all the external cues associated with that experience. This is how negative habits are built.
Let's look at how excessive social media use affects your overall well-being and productivity.
Some of the dopamine addiction effects are:
- Reduced attention span. If you scroll your social media for too long, you may later find it hard to concentrate on reading. Like, really, why force yourself to read and imagine things when you get an instant dopamine boost from Facebook?
- Decreased motivation. Constant scrolling gives you a quick dopamine hit—pleasant for a minute or two but harsh in the long run. Your motivation for more meaningful tasks, like exercising, may decrease.
- Difficulty appreciating life. Dopamine addiction makes you dependent on constant stimulation. Once you've built a habit, you can't longer feel happy without those likes and comments. A simple stroll in the park became painfully dull.
- Isolation. You may shine on social media, but when did you last meet someone? The time we spend scrolling is the same time we spend in self-isolation. No wonder loneliness rates are on the rise.
- Other negative habits. Social media often comes with other compulsive activities, such as eating junk food, smoking, or drinking. Relaxing with Insta and high-cholesterol snacks is fine now and then—just keep it balanced!
Disorders of dopamine production are associated with depression, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ouch. Let's talk about eight techniques you can try to take your dopamine addiction under control.
Breaking Dopamine Addiction: 8 Steps To Take Today
The habits below are not easy to implement, so we ask that you be kind to yourself.
Let's see what you can do to become less social media dependent.
Learn how to break a bad habit.
Social media addiction is not so different from smoking or drinking. And the algorithm for breaking these bad habits is the same:
- Understand the habit. Recognize what triggers you to scroll X (ex-Twitter) for two straight hours.
- Analyze the reward. What does it provide you with?
- Replace the habit. Once you feel the need to scroll, immediately start doing something else, like drinking water or meditating.
- Track your progress. Monitor how much time you spend on social media daily
- Set rewards. Reinforce changes by rewarding yourself with some snacks, play, or music.
Liven can help you reach a meta-conscious state where you can analyze and better understand your mood swings, thoughts, and actions. Think of it as your companion on a journey of self-discovery. Set your well-being goals and start improving your life with small steps.
Switch to a keypad mobile.
Remember those iconic Nokias and Motorolas? No likes, no reels, no YouTube. It might seem unreal: SMS, phone calls, what? But why not give it a try? It'll make you less distracted.
Create phone-free zones.
We tend to bring our phones everywhere: dinner, bath, sleep. How about a phone-free zone in your house? Start small. First, avoid using your phone while eating.
Try to be meta-aware of what you eat. Pay attention to the food in front of you. How does it smell? Do you like the look? Take a bite and describe its texture. Can you identify different flavors? This level of awareness may only last for 10 minutes, but ask yourself if it helped you enjoy the food more. No need to go to great lengths; just take it one step at a time. Once you've mastered this, make your bed, bath, and other spaces phone-free. Use your phone in your cabinet if you have one, on your couch, or while relaxing in the park.
Try a new hobby.
Watching movies doesn't count—it's too passive an activity. Try something that needs your full attention and motor skills. String beads to make bracelets, solve puzzles, knit, and build a Lego set. Do this without distractions for 10 minutes. Listening to music is fine.
Again, notice how you feel. This might seem difficult initially, but the more you try, the better you'll become at it. And there's a great bonus—you're an artist now.
Reorganize your phone.
Here's what to do to use social media less:
- Make content less appealing by going to Accessibility settings and setting a black-and-white color scheme.
- Remove all the apps that you don't use but still annoy you with notifications.
- Move the most important apps (work, reading, meditation) to the home screen.
- Move less essential apps like X or TikTok off the home screen to make them harder to access.
- Set time limits for each social media app: say, 25 min daily. Do this in your Settings—Notifications.
- Delete the Instagram app from your phone and use it only on your PC.
Join the JOMO movement.
The JOMO, or joy of missing out, is a movement of people who meaningfully miss out on social media updates. For them, it may still matter how many photos of your kid you post—but they don't let it rule their lives.
It's proven that JOMO helps reduce anxiety, stress, and jealousy. If you feel like it, ask your friends to join the joy of missing out with you to make the journey less challenging.
Create a meaningful offline life.
We stick to our phones when offline life gets boring. Make it more colorful! Define what pleasure means to you. Then, create situations that bring you the same rewards but do you no harm.
Meet your friends more often. Take your parents out for dinner once in a while. Go out and lay on the ground for 10 minutes straight. Buy plants and learn to care for them (some might die, but don't let it upset you). Enjoy the sunset. Do anything your 7-year-old phone-less self would do.
Life is full of beauty and meaning when you pay attention.
Keep it playful.
Make a bet with yourself that you won't be using Facebook for a day (or once a week?). Reward yourself with snacks, meet your friends, or make a new purchase.
The idea is not to take yourself too seriously. Playfulness makes us feel like the kids we used to be—light and serene. Sure, the consequences of dopamine overdose are harsh, but you can mildly break the loop by taking small steps.
Final thoughts: social media platforms are designed to hook you up with dopamine spikes. They shorten your attention span and reduce your motivation. It's a form of addiction. To break from it, try to replace the habit with something more rewarding. Something playful. Reorganize your phone or get rid of it for a while.
Whatever you do, try to be kind to yourself.
