The tools needed to feed your technology addiction are ubiquitous. They’re inescapable.
If you regularly sacrifice sleep to surf the Internet, play video games, or hang out on social media, you may indeed be a techaholic.
Internet addiction is real. Millions of people suffer from it. And when they’re prevented from going online, they experience withdrawal symptoms that are like those suffered by drug addicts.
The release of dopamine in our brains is the one constant behind all addictions. Studies have shown that playing video games triggers its release. Spending time on Facebook, reading text messages, and searching Google does, too. You experience the same effect when you inhale nicotine, drink caffeine, and take hits of cocaine (or so studies show).
Smartphones have become so pervasive in our society that most of us now carry one. The problem is, their use stimulates the reward center of the brain in a way that encourages dependency. This dependency sets the stage for the onset of a full-blown addiction.
Our phones and other devices enrich our lives in myriad ways. The problem is, continued use makes us increasingly dependent on them. The more we use our phones, tablets, and laptops for non-work activities – for example, surfing Facebook and Pinterest or playing games – the greater becomes our dependency on them. That’s the road to addiction.
In short, an inability to focus stemming from an addiction to technology can have long-ranging negative impacts on your life. There are numerous strategies for improving your focus. One is to unplug. If you’re struggling with an Internet addiction, a phone addiction, or any other tech-related obsession, you need a digital detox.
