“DNA evidence suggests that Neanderthals carried a gene known as DRD4-7R as long as forty thousand years ago. DRD4-7R is responsible for… — Adam Alter Thousand years Copy Share Image
“Immersive tech like virtual reality inspires such rich emotions that it’s ripe for abuse. It’s still in its infancy, though, so it’s… — Adam Alter Technology Copy Share Image
“humans find the sweet spot sandwiched between “too easy” and “too difficult” irresistible. It’s the land of just-challenging-enough computer games, financial targets,… — Adam Alter Computer games Copy Share Image
“It’s hard to exaggerate how much the “like” button changed the psychology of Facebook use. What had begun as a passive way… — Adam Alter Friendship Copy Share Image
“Tech isn’t morally good or bad until it’s wielded by the corporations that fashion it for mass consumption. Apps and platforms can… — Adam Alter Addiction Copy Share Image
“Walter Isaacson, who ate dinner with the Jobs family while researching his biography of Steve Jobs, reports that “No one ever pulled… — Adam Alter Family Copy Share Image
“Super Mario Bros. hooks newcomers because there are no barriers to playing the game. You can know absolutely nothing about the Nintendo… — Adam Alter Acquiring knowledge Copy Share Image
“Meanwhile, in 2015, there were 280 million smartphone addicts. If they banded together to form the “United States of Nomophobia,” it would… — Adam Alter Copy Share Image
“They’re distracting because they remind us of the world beyond the immediate conversation,” — Adam Alter Communication Copy Share Image
“One recent study suggested that up to 40 percent of the population suffers from some form of Internet-based addiction, whether to email,… — Adam Alter Addiction Copy Share Image
“A behavior is addictive only if the rewards it brings now are eventually” — Adam Alter Habits Copy Share Image
“Addiction originally meant a different kind of strong connection: in ancient Rome, being addicted meant you had just been sentenced to slavery.” — Adam Alter Addiction Copy Share Image
“It isn’t the body falling in unrequited love with a dangerous drug, but rather the mind learning to associate any substance or… — Adam Alter Habits Copy Share Image
“There is one subtle psychological lever that seems to hasten habit formation: the language you use to describe your behavior. Suppose you… — Adam Alter Habits Copy Share Image
“Remember: once your cucumber brain has become pickled, it can never go back to being a cucumber.” — Adam Alter Copy Share Image
“Addictive tech is part of the mainstream in a way that addictive substances never will be.” — Adam Alter Technology Copy Share Image
“Gamification is designed to raise productivity where people would prefer to be lazy. In many contexts, laziness is the human default.” — Adam Alter Procrastination Copy Share Image
“In 2008, adults spent an average of eighteen minutes on their phones per day; in 2015, they were spending two hours and… — Adam Alter Copy Share Image
