#55 Reaping those Rewards

Reaping those Rewards

Do you ever tell yourself, “I’ll just check Instagram/Tik Tok/Facebook for five minutes, then I’ll go to bed”?

If you’re like me, you find yourself still scrolling 30 minutes later.

Apps like these have perfected the use of variable rewards.  As Nir Eyal, author of the books Hooked and Indistractable explains, pursuing unpredictable rewards releases dopamine in our brains. This motivates us to keep searching for the next chuckle-worthy or goosebump-inducing video, or an interesting post from a friend. We don’t know what will come next, so we keep scrolling.

Variable rewards can be harnessed to encourage a positive behavior, like regularly studying a language or getting your kid to eat broccoli.  But they can also foster bad habits.  So, if you suffer from too much nighttime scrolling, try:

1.      Charging your phone outside your bedroom.

2.      Removing the tempting app for 3-4 weeks, to help break the habit.