Why your phone is making you sad

Phone addiction is real, and researchers are becoming more concerned with what it is doing to our brains and bodies. This video explains the up to date research on what creates phone addiction, how to tell if you are clinically addicted to your phone and the top three scientific tips for decreasing phone use.

Huge thank you to Dr. Anna Lembke for her incredible book "Dopamine Nation" buy it at your local bookstore for even more information on this issue.

Resources:

Written by: Gregory Brown
Drawn by: Max Simmons + Gregory Brown
Edited by: Luka Šarlija

FOLLOW US!
TikTok: @AsapSCIENCE

Whether it is the new Oliver Anthony video, or a science video about crowd control or the new Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell video about nuclear war, our phones are tempting us to watch videos constantly. This is changing your brain and making you sad, this video will explain why, and how to fix it (neurologically)

[Praisethesunson]

The people who designed the stuff on phones literally took and used all the techniques casinos use to create gambling addicts.

[awesomelimited]

So glad I'm not phone addicted. *Sits at computer 10+ hours a day*

[halliemyers]

I once lost my phone for 2 days and I spiraled into a depression. I genuinely did not know what to do with my time. I went through patterns of feverishly searching for it, getting upset that I couldn't find it, experiencing anxiety and despair, staring at my ceiling, and even moments of crying. When I found it, I felt immediate euphoria. Looking back, I cannot believe how ridiculous this is. My phone controls my life and honestly it's sickening.

[sonyclaystation]

I went from enjoying scrolling on my phone to feeling this weird sense of impending doom every time I did it too much. Worst part is I couldn’t even stop doing it. I’ve managed to control my urges of picking it up every now and then but I keep thinking about how many people could struggle with this like me, it all feels way too dystopian to be real

[CisneAlacran]

I disabled all social media for 3 months. And started reading again. At first it was difficult, but then my brain started working again. It’s was like a cerebral rehab

[addysaw]

Switching from your phone to your laptop somehow helps a lot. Also watching long-format videos like YouTube is a lot less detrimental than short clips like TikTok.

[sniff]

This will definitely have long term effects when we're all older, eye strain, headaches, poor vision, etc.

[AceKite]

I'm actually grateful to have been born in the mid 90's. I got a chance to experience life without all this technology for little while, so now ik how to easily control it. Everything seemed so calm growing up... Now i can't even walk around people without feeling the anxiety emanating from them.

[lewdogzombies]

After watching this, I decided to go for a 20 minute walk outside and left my phone at home. I actually had more pleasure in that 20 minute walk outside than I did 5 hours watching YouTube on my phone. Put the phone down, get out there and start living!

[jtproductions]

I spent a Summer at a lab studying substance use disorders, and the more I learned about substance use disorders the more I realized they mirrored my relationship with my phone. Felt validated by this video!

[jasondelatorre]

This is something I’ve worried about so much in the last 5-7 years. I’m so glad you guys made a video on this and can bring everyone together to talk about it

[briannacluck]

I struggled for a long time with phone addiction. A month or so ago I decided something had to change, but even I greyscale mode my phone was so alluring. I ended up replacing it with a flip phone, getting a separate camera and MFA device to replace the important things I was using my smartphone for and I haven't looked back. It seemed impossible and old fashioned at first to not have the whole universe in my palm at all times, but the mental health benefits have been SO worth it. I also have more time to read books and finally finish the billion video games I got too distracted to finish.

[Ghsdkgb]

I've found that if I'm doing something else that's mentally simulating - tabletop games, socializing, playing with my daughter, or one of my myriad craft hobbies - that I have NO desire to check my phone. Doesn't even cross my mind. So I imagine that living in a society in which many of us are working in non-simulating jobs that take up too much of our time and energy to really get into any hobbies is contributing pretty heavily to our screen addictions.

[shintaayu]

I'm on my third year in college and this phone addiction make me hard to focus on lecture or self-studying time. Even if I have assignment pilled up, I still can't stop scrolling, make me have this chronic procrastination. I realize it's bad for me and my future, I want to stop this phone addiction so badly. Your video is so helpful, make me understand how phone make our brain craving more for entertainment. Currently my average screen time is 10 hours per day, and I want to reduce this to 1 or 2 hours per day. Wish me luck!

[Dommymom]

The only way I was able to honestly stop my phone addiction was completely deleting all social media platforms. I only use YouTube, and it’s not the same quick and constant stimulation or attention I would receive from other users. But that’s not the case for everyone and I am fortunate enough that I do not require advertising or content within my career.

[genvvrules]

As a teacher, I see the addiction firsthand of all of my students. I’ve been trying to cut back on my phone use, and I’m excited to have some tips to try.

[cass.watson]

I think the pandemic dramatically increased our phone usage since we were so accustomed to socially isolating at that point lol

[Giggiyygoo]

Years ago, I had so many hobbies. Woodworking, bodybuilding, gardening, working on cars, etc. Now it's nothing but looking at my phone. I'm changing that right now.

[animeguitarguy]

I've always been pretty anti social media and anti phone but have still fallen into the hole. Best of luck to everyone in fighting what I consider to be the great drug of our time

[kellyro]

One day I caught myself picking up and checking my phone like every 5 minutes while watching TV. When I noticed the behavior I got mad and decided to start limiting my phone access. On Sundays I don’t touch my phone at all and I can’t tell you how relaxed and free I feel on my Sundays. I think I’m going to start doing that more than just on Sundays. Like leave it in the other room every evening, or when working, etc. Thanks for discussing this. It’s definitely a problem.