![]() You need to fill that void with something else, otherwise you're just going to claw your way back. It's not enough to excise social media from your day. Replace social media with another activity.I also have OpenDNS on my router, which blocks sites for all devices connected to it. Use one of these web filtering tools to restrict access to social media sites. This is for your computers, laptops, and tablets. And you won't be as likely to pop one of those apps open in moments of boredom or stillness. ![]() This will eliminate all of those notifications and alerts that play such a crucial role in social media addiction. ![]() Other sites may or may not allow deactivation. We've shown you how to deactivate Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This will serve as a hedge against you checking in on a whim, and it will also signal to your friends that you're on a detox. Here are the simple steps to a true social media detox: Plus, you're more likely to spiral back into addiction with little hits. You can't do this if you're feeding your appetite here and there. In short, you need to stop rewarding your current dopamine triggers so that your brain can return to normal. Whereas substance-related addictions sometimes need gradual weaning due to issues of physical withdrawal, psychological ones are best dealt with using cold-turkey tactics. The hard part is sticking with it.ĭespite the involvement of dopamine, social media addiction is a psychological addiction (in the same vein as video game addiction). What if you spent that time on something else, like a creative hobby, hiking a trail, or personal growth? Checking Facebook or Twitter may only take a few minutes, but if you check several times an hour, that can add up to a lot of wasted time. A visit to Reddit can turn into two hours of mindless browsing. In the most extreme of cases, malicious users can make your life a living hell in many ways, including doxing, stalking, hacking, and more. You'd be surprised how much somebody can find out about you simply through your social media history. If you aren't aware of this effect, social media can turn you into a close-minded person. This is the very definition of an echo chamber: everyone just parrots the same ideas back at one another. The nature of social media means you can follow those who are like you and ignore those who aren't. It's all about your own satisfaction and gratification, and as you chase more and more likes, you can get swallowed up in yourself. On Twitter and Tumblr, it's retweets and reblogs. One of the biggest rewards in social media is when you make a post and somebody likes it. And we can fall into despair when we can't seem to keep up with the supposed lives of our friends and followers, even to the point of depression. Nobody's profile truly reflects who they are as a person - it's all filtered and sterilized. People selectively post what they want others to see. And this allows everyone to flaunt their good sides while hiding their bad ones. But what about the quality of your life? Social media addiction could be harming you in ways you can't quite see on the surface. All things considered, it's one of the safest addictions you could have - nobody has ever died from it. This is why you sometimes feel "social media withdrawal" - a compulsive need to check social media if you've gone too long without any dopamine triggers.Īnd that's true. As you immerse yourself in dopamine-triggering stimuli, your brain begins to anticipate them even before they happen. And since notifications and alerts are unpredictable, they trigger dopamine. Unpredictable stimuli. The brain also releases dopamine when something unexpected happens.You are never fully satisfied, so you feel compelled to keep going back. Even though Reddit links and tweets feel rewarding, they are only slightly so. When your brain enters its reward-seeking mindset, all you have to do is open up Reddit or send out a tweet and your brain will interpret that as having acted, thus releasing feelings of pleasure as a reward. Unfortunately, some specific characteristics of social media can abuse our dopamine systems: When you act to satiate that desire, the brain releases endorphins, which are pleasurable and rewarding. Dopamine makes you feel like you want something and shifts you into a reward-seeking mindset. Rather, the dopamine system has more to do with anticipation and motivation. Contrary to popular belief, dopamine has nothing to do with pleasure.
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