27. The Scroll Trap: Why We Can't Put Our Phones Down
Ever picked up your phone to check the weather, only to find yourself 40 minutes deep into videos you never intended to watch? One minute you're checking the forecast, and the next you're emotionally invested in a stranger's bathroom renovation.Sound familiar? You're definitely not alone.In this episode of The Behavior Trap, host Alan Lowe, BCBA, explores why scrolling through social media can be so difficult to stop, even when we're not particularly enjoying ourselves.Through fascinating historical stories, behavioral science, and some painfully relatable millennial experiences, Alan takes a closer look at how reinforcement, stimulus control, habit formation, and our everyday environments influence the way we interact with our phones.From Edward Thorndike's early experiments with learning to modern research suggesting that constantly switching between videos can actually make us more bored, this episode examines why our phones keep pulling us back.We'll also tackle some common misconceptions about dopamine, explore why scrolling isn't always about entertainment, and discuss practical, research-informed ways to become more intentional with our screen time.And no, the solution isn't necessarily throwing your smartphone away and moving into the woods.The real question isn't just why we keep scrolling. It's what keeps bringing us back, and what we're actually getting out of it.Whether you're a behavior analyst, a psychology enthusiast, or someone who has ever opened Instagram for "just five minutes," this episode might change the way you think about your own behavior.Let's keep asking questions, exploring the research, and learning more about human behavior together.The following research helped inform the behavioral principles, historical context, and scientific discussions featured in this episode.Ferster, C. B., & Skinner, B. F. (1957). Schedules of reinforcement. Appleton-Century-Crofts.Fitz, N., Kushlev, K., Jagannathan, R., Lewis, T., Paliwal, D., & Ariely, D. (2019). Batching smartphone notifications can improve well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 84–94.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.07.016Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3, 173–182.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1Oulasvirta, A., Rattenbury, T., Ma, L., & Raita, E. (2012). Habits make smartphone use more pervasive. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 16, 105–114.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-011-0412-2Schultz, W., Dayan, P., & Montague, P. R. (1997). A neural substrate of prediction and reward. Science, 275(5306), 1593–1599.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.275.5306.1593Stothart, C., Mitchum, A., & Yehnert, C. (2015). The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 41(4), 893–897.https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000100Tam, K. Y. Y., & Inzlicht, M. (2024). Fast-forward to boredom: How switching behavior on digital media makes people more bored. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(10), 2409–2426.https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001639Thorndike, E. L. (1911). Animal intelligence: Experimental studies. Macmillan.https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Thorndike/Animal/chap2.htmWood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289–314.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417Instagram: @TheBehaviorTrapPodcastEmail: [email protected] a question about human behavior, an interesting topic you'd like explored, or an idea for a future episode? We'd love to hear from you!For listener questions, episode suggestions, potential guest appearances, sponsorships, collaborations, or other inquiries, reach out through Instagram or email.
