We’re wondering if Iphone Addiction is really a problem.
So we did what any normal person would do when their curiosity gets the best of them.. we did some digging.
Are people really struggling with iPhone addiction and how is that manifesting?
What do we mean by addiction?
The word “addiction” is derived from a Latin term for “enslaved by” or “bound to.”
The zeitgeist of addiction has evolved in recent years as we have learned more about the brain and discovered what addiction actually is.
It used to be thought that addicts were weak, and lacked self-control. There was a prevalent view to look down on addicts.
We now understand that addiction hardwires the brain in its memory centers leaving the victim much less in control than we had hoped.
We classify addiction as a disease in very much the same way we would be concerned for the wellbeing of a child with cancer.
And thank goodness because our culture is struggling with this madness. Now is the time to get informed.
For many years, experts believed that only alcohol and powerful drugs could cause addiction. Neuroimaging technologies and more recent research have shown that certain pleasurable activities, such as gambling, shopping, sex, and social media can create the same effects in the brain.
PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
Pleasure principle. The brain registers all pleasure in the same way, whether they originate with a psychoactive drug, a monetary reward, a sexual encounter, or a satisfying meal.
In the brain, pleasure has a distinct signature: the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.
Addiction provides a shortcut to the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine.
The hippocampus lays down memories of satisfaction, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response.
Dopamine not only contributes to the experience of pleasure but also plays a role in learning and memory — two key elements in the transition from liking something to becoming addicted to it.
In nature, rewards usually come only with time and effort.
Addictive drugs and behaviors provide a shortcut, flooding the brain with dopamine and other neurotransmitters.
Our brains do not have an easy way to withstand the onslaught.
Because addiction is learned and stored in the brain as memory, recovery is a slow and hesitant process in which the influence of those memories diminishes.
Studies have shown the average child between the ages of eight and 18 spends 10 hours and 45 minutes online or plugged into entertainment media daily.
Let’s talk about the… Extended ISelf
This is a study based on self, cognition, anxiety, and physiology when iPhone users are unable to answer their iPhone while performing cognitive tasks
First, participants were told to sit in a cubicle and complete a puzzle while in possession of their phone; then, they were asked to complete another puzzle, but they were told that their phone was causing “Bluetooth interference” and that it needed to be moved elsewhere in the room.
Researchers then called the phone — study participants could see and hear it ringing, but were unable to get up to answer it.
Researchers kept track of participants’ heart rate and blood pressure.
The participants who could hear their phone ring but couldn’t answer performed more poorly, their blood pressure went up, and their anxiety levels were raised.
The study concluded suggesting that “iPhone users avoid parting with their phones during daily situations that involve a great deal of attention,” saying that being apart from the device can make individuals feel “a lessening of ‘self.’
The consensus was if you have important things to do and need to stay focused, keep your phone near you. Sound off… of course.
WHAT ABOUT TRUE LOVE?
An experiment done using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tests, looked at subjects’ brain activity as they viewed consumer images involving brands like Apple and Harley-Davidson and religious images like rosary beads and a photo of the pope.
What was founded is the brain activity is similar when viewing both types of imagery.
To find out if iPhones were really as addictive as cocaine, alcohol, shopping, and video games, Martin Lindstrom, in conjunction with the San Diego-based firm MindSign Neuromarketing, eight men and eight women between the ages of 18 and 25.
The 16 subjects were exposed separately to audio and to a video of a ringing and vibrating iPhone.
In each instance, the results showed activation in the audio and visual cortices of the subjects’ brains.
When they were exposed to the video, the subjects’ brains didn’t just see the vibrating iPhone, they “heard” it, too. When they were exposed to the audio, they also “saw” it.
But most fascinating was the activation in the insular cortex of the brain – associated with feelings of love and compassion.
The subjects’ brains responded to the sound of their phones as they would respond to the presence of a girlfriend, boyfriend or family member.
In short, the subjects didn’t demonstrate the typical brain-based signs of addiction. What they discovered was they loved their iPhones.
Why does the Mindful Brain Matter?
Mindfulness is the state and art of bringing your attention to the present moment.
Not only does it improve memory, focus, and concentration – the mindful brain ALSO has the ability to interrupt conditioned programming in the brain and bring awareness to make more conscious choices.
As our technology advances, it is important more than ever to be conscious of the way it is affecting us.