{"id":133257,"date":"2024-11-27T18:00:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T22:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=133257"},"modified":"2024-11-29T18:01:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T22:01:34","slug":"health-concern-of-using-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/health-concern-of-using-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biggest Health Concern of Using Technology: Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How does technology affect a person’s health? Is it possible to get addicted to a smartphone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam Alter claims that, as of 2017, over 40% of people displayed symptoms of behavioral addiction to various forms of technology, ranging from common devices like smartphones to more niche technologies like high-tech eyeglasses. What’s worse is that this number is bound to increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn more about the biggest health concern of using technology: addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is Technology Addiction?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alter believes addiction is a major health concern of using technology that needs to be addressed. A behavioral addiction <\/em>is something you can\u2019t stop doing even though it does more harm than good, usually because you pursue it to the exclusion of your needs. Alter says that if you have a behavioral addiction to technology <\/em>(we\u2019ll call this a \u201ctechnology addiction\u201d going forward), <\/em>you use technology so much that it interferes with your ability to lead a healthy life. <\/strong>For example, if you\u2019re addicted to social media<\/a>, you might be glued to it when you should be working, eating, sleeping, or being social. Prioritizing social media over other parts of life might be OK every once in a while, but when it becomes habitual, it has cumulative negative effects on your well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology addiction<\/a> is a controversial concept, as some experts believe addiction requires the use of mind-altering substances. However, Alter explains that our understanding of addiction has evolved: Humans have always used and become addicted to naturally occurring substances, like the nicotine inside tobacco plants. But we only began to understand substance addiction after early pharmacologists developed powerful drugs like cocaine. Experts promoted <\/em>those drugs, leading to widespread substance addiction, until they began to observe addiction\u2019s negative effects in the late 1800s. Alter says that emerging technologies are being adopted at an equally rapid pace, and we\u2019re just beginning to learn that they can be addictive, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Mechanisms of Addiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite the controversy surrounding technology addiction, Alter argues that on a neuropsychological level, technology can be as addictive as any substance. He explains that according to decades of studies on both animals and people, both substance addictions and <\/em>behavioral addictions are facilitated by three mechanisms\u2014and he suggests that technology addiction functions in much the same way. Let\u2019s explore those three mechanisms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll call the first mechanism the pleasure cycle<\/em>.<\/strong> First, the substance or behavior produces a rush of dopamine, <\/em>a neurochemical that creates the sensation of pleasure (also known as a high<\/em>). This rush of dopamine is so large that it disrupts your brain\u2019s normal balance of dopamine. As you continue using the substance or engaging in the behavior, you develop a tolerance\u2014you produce less dopamine with each occasion, so you need more of the substance or behavior to recreate your first high. In between those occasions, your brain produces very little dopamine; this causes you to feel very low<\/em>, which can be difficult to cope with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pleasure cycle is the physiological basis of addiction. The second mechanism, which we\u2019ll call emotional vulnerability, <\/em>is the psychological basis of addiction<\/strong>\u2014you need both bases to be truly addicted to something. Alter explains that humans are wired to seek external comforts that produce dopamine when we experience emotional stress\u2014for example, you might vent to a friend or go for a run. People with addictions are emotionally vulnerable because they don\u2019t <\/em>develop healthy coping mechanisms. Instead, they turn to substances or unhealthy behaviors for a comforting dose of pleasure (dopamine). With repeated use, addicted persons teach themselves a lasting lesson\u2014that the substance or behavior soothes emotional distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third mechanism of addiction is memory.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>Alter says that if someone finds pleasure and emotional comfort in a substance or behavior, they\u2019ll form strong, positive, subconscious memories of the object of addiction. So long as reminders of how it\u2019s helped them persist, they\u2019ll continue seeking it out, even if they understand it\u2019s not good for them and want to stop. These positive memories can trigger deeply entrenched cravings and override their rational intentions to abstain. For example, someone who enters a rehab facility might lose the desire to use marijuana but relapse when they return home and see their bong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do Technology Addictions Look Like?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Substance addictions can be relatively easy to spot\u2014if you continually use an addictive substance, you\u2019re likely addicted to it. But how do you know whether you have a technology addiction? Alter describes two kinds of signs that suggest someone has a technology addiction\u2014behavioral symptoms and distressing effects.<\/strong> Let\u2019s explore each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behavioral Symptoms of Technology Addiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Alter, some of the symptoms of technology addiction include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n