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What is “Phone Addiction”… And Do You Have It?

Source: Cell Phone Addiction: Is It Really a Thing, and What Can You Do?

The medical community is debating whether phone overuse is an addiction or an impulse control issue.

There are similarities between phone overuse and other behavioral addictions such as compulsive gambling. These similarities include:

Loss of control over the behavior
Severe negative consequences stemming from the behavior
Persistence: having significant difficulty limiting the behavior
Tolerance: the need to engage in the behavior more often to get the same feeling
Withdrawal: feelings of irritability and anxiety when the behavior isn’t practiced
Relapse: picking up the habit again after periods of avoidance

https://virtual-addiction.com/smartphone-compulsion-test/

Try taking one of these quizzes to find out:

https://www.psycom.net/quizzes/phone-addiction-test

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Why is Phone Addiction So Powerful?

Sources: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/cell-phone-addiction#the-bottom-line

& Cell Phone Addiction: Is It Really a Thing, and What Can You Do?

Your brain releases a chemical called dopamine when it feels rewarded.

Some phone apps are expertly designed in a way to keep you coming back again and again for positive social reinforcements that can trigger the release of dopamine in your brain.

The problem is this dopamine boost is temporary and can lead to a letdown.

�Research shows that users go from one post to another on social media every 19 seconds. When we scroll through our feeds switching between content so quickly, the brain gets a hit of dopamine each time, creating a sort of neurological “high”.