A World Full of Dopamine Junkies

February 15, 2025

A World Full of Dopamine Junkies

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You know those days when you find yourself in a veritable black hole of endless scrolling? One minute you’re innocently checking a notification, the next you’re emerging hours later, blinking in the daylight (or whatever light’s available), utterly bewildered and asking yourself, “Good heavens, where did all that time vanish to? And for the life of me, what on earth did I actually do with it?”

Well, that’s precisely what happened to me today. Even more worrying, it seems to be a recurring unconscious performance.

The absolute worst of it is, you can’t even pinpoint one genuinely good thing you learned or one meaningful tidbit that stuck. Your brain felt stimulated, yes, but not in a proper, nourishing way. It’s like a constant stream of tiny, fleeting sensations that just… well, evaporate. And then I find myself getting utterly frustrated with myself for falling into the very trap I know is laid out so deliberately.

Good news if you are experiencing those periods of endless scrolling – it is not your fault entirely. As I see it, there are at least two culprits to point the finger at here: an individual, meaning you and I, and a company, those colossal digital empires that now seem to govern so much of our waking lives.

The Grand Design: The Deliberate Moral Failure

If you dig a bit deeper into the history of these platforms, it becomes chillingly clear that their current form isn’t some happy accident. Oh no, it’s a meticulously engineered, deliberately manipulative design. From their very inception, these tech giants – Meta, TikTok, Google, Apple, and the like – actively hired top-notch neuroscientists and behavioural psychologists. Their explicit mission was and is to reverse-engineer human psychology, to pinpoint our vulnerabilities, and to craft systems that would compel us to spend more and more of our precious time ‘engaged’ (read: glued) on their platforms.

The reason behind this relentless, almost predatory, pursuit of our eyeballs and attention boils down to pounds, shillings, and pence. These are privately registered companies, after all, and their entire business model hinges on your time spent on their platform. The longer you linger, the more data they can extract on your habits, preferences, and desires, and crucially, the more opportunities they have to sell your attention – your very consciousness – to advertisers.

It’s a simple, albeit rather chilling, equation. Your attention is their commodity. They sell it, quite literally, to advertisers. As I like to put it: if you’re not paying for the product, then you, my friend, are the product.

I highly recommend watching The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary that explores the hidden impact of social media on our lives. Featuring insights from former Silicon Valley insiders, the film sheds light on how social media shapes our thoughts, behaviours, and relationships in ways we might not even realise.

Documentary Recommendation

How Companies Keep Us Glued

We’re all rather aware that these digital platforms are, for all intents and purposes, businesses. They’re profiting from our time and our data, which is then used to train their sophisticated machines. And we know, deep down, that the endless scrolling isn’t exactly a high-quality use of our precious time. Yet on average, we spend 2 hours and 35 minutes using just social media each day.

One has to ask, if this behaviour isn’t truly serving our well-being, what in our right is making us so utterly glued to our phones for such an extraordinary length of time?

The answer lies in a rather cunning exploitation of our brain’s very own reward system. At its heart is dopamine, a neurotransmitter often referred to as the “feel-good chemical.” It plays a crucial role in our motivation, our drive to seek out rewards, and our sense of pleasure.

Researching this topic, I found that the human brain contains four major dopamine “pathways,” or connections between different parts of the brain that act as highways for chemical messages called neurotransmitters. Each pathway has its own associated cognitive and motor (movement) processes. Three of these pathways – the mesocortical, mesolimbic, and nigrostriatal pathways – are considered our “reward pathways”.

Here is a quick breakdown:

Mesolimbic pathway
Often associated with reward and pleasure. When functioning normally, it gets triggered by activities we find enjoyable, leading to dopamine release and feelings of satisfaction.
Mesocortical Pathway
Influences focus, attention, and emotional regulation. It is involved in functions like planning, focus, and attention, and helps us filter out distractions and concentrate on the task at hand.
Nigrostriatal Pathway
which is responsible for the control of voluntary movements and body postural balance
Tuberoinfundibular Pathway
Regulates the release of a hormone called prolactin that is required for milk production.

Source: Xu, Haiyun & Yang, Fan. (2022). The interplay of dopamine metabolism abnormalities and mitochondrial defects in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Translational Psychiatry. 12. 10.1038/s41398-022-02233-0.

That said, when we engage in activities we genuinely enjoy – be it savouring a delicious meal, spending time with our loved ones, or having a successful social interaction – our brains respond by releasing dopamine. This creates a positive feedback loop that encourages us to repeat these behaviours. It’s, in essence, nature’s rather clever way of ensuring we keep doing things that are beneficial for us.

Although not as intense as a hit of cocaine, positive social stimuli will similarly result in a release of dopamine, reinforcing whatever behaviour preceded it. Online platforms exploit this system by offering us those fleeting, unpredictable ‘mini dopamine hits’ – a sudden like on a photo, a new comment on a post, the red notification badge – that, when repeated over an extended period, can indeed rewire our brains rather profoundly.

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When Rewarding Behaviour Takes a U-Turn

The continuous, low-level stimulation provided by modern digital platforms has significant implications for the brain’s delicate reward circuitry. This constant, unpredictable reinforcement cycle can lead to a state of chronic dopamine overstimulation.

Over time, this heightened exposure can desensitise the brain’s dopamine receptors, a process known as downregulation. As the number and sensitivity of these receptors decrease, the individual requires a greater stimulus to achieve the same level of pleasure or satisfaction. This creates a vicious cycle: the brain becomes less responsive to natural, healthy rewards (such as exercise or meaningful social interaction), while simultaneously craving more of the potent, instant gratification offered by digital platforms.

This chronic overstimulation and subsequent downregulation contribute to a dysfunction in dopamine signalling. The brain’s ability to regulate dopamine levels becomes compromised, potentially leading to an imbalance that can manifest as heightened anxiety, reduced motivation, and an increased susceptibility to stress. In essence, the reward system, designed to encourage beneficial behaviours, becomes dysregulated and seeks out increasingly intense, but ultimately less fulfilling, stimuli.

This cycle is particularly potent for those who are neurodivergent, as their brains may process these stimuli differently, making them even more susceptible to these addictive loops. For example, individuals with ADHD may have a pre-existing dopamine deficiency, making the quick, intense bursts of digital dopamine feel particularly rewarding and difficult to resist. Similarly, those on the autism spectrum may find the predictable, structured nature of online interactions and content less overwhelming than real-world social cues, leading them to seek more solace and engagement in digital spaces. This can create a stronger feedback loop that is incredibly difficult to break.

Our Part in the Puzzle: Taking Back Control

This all paints a rather bleak picture of corporate manipulation, doesn’t it? It’s easy to feel like we’re powerless puppets in this grand design. But, and this is the crucial part, we’re not. Despite these powerful forces working against us, we still have a role to play. While they’ve created the trap, we are the ones who can, however slowly and mindfully, begin to find our way out.

We often use these screens as a crutch – a way to avoid quiet moments, to numb ourselves when we’re feeling a bit down or lonely. It’s so easy to reach for the phone rather than sit with an uncomfortable emotion or simply endure a moment of boredom. The silence becomes a void, and the screen a quick, albeit unfulfilling, fix.

And the irony is, while these devices promise to connect us, they often leave us feeling more isolated than ever. We’re surrounded by other people’s curated lives, which can be exhausting and misleading. What’s worse, we’re not truly present with the people right in front of us. We have dinner with friends, but half the table is quietly scrolling. We visit family, but we’re constantly glancing at a buzzing phone.

So, I suppose my point, if I have one, is that I’m trying to be more mindful of this myself. To step away from the crutch and allow for a bit more boredom, a bit more stillness. This isn’t just about blaming ourselves; it’s about empowering ourselves to make conscious, deliberate choices in a digital landscape that is, by design, trying to disempower us.

How Do We Begin To Do That?

Blimey, it isn’t easy, but here are a few practical thoughts that have been rattling around my head, from one person to another:

Create physical barriers
The simplest acts can be the most powerful. Consider keeping your phone out of the bedroom at night. Use a proper alarm clock, and leave your phone to charge in a different room. This simple act alone can give you back your first hour of the day, a precious slice of time before the digital onslaught begins. Similarly, designate certain areas or activities as 'no-phone' zones—the dinner table, a coffee with a friend, or perhaps a walk in the park.
Curate your digital diet
Just as you wouldn't eat junk food all day, you shouldn't consume digital junk food either. Actively unfollow accounts that don't genuinely serve you, that make you feel inadequate, or simply drain your energy. Instead, follow people or pages that inspire, educate, or genuinely make you laugh. Mute notifications that pull you in unnecessarily.
Mindful Consumption
Before opening an app, pause for a moment and ask yourself: "Why am I doing this? What do I hope to gain from this interaction?" This simple, conscious question can often break the automatic, almost unconscious, scrolling habit. It forces a moment of reflection.
Schedule boredom
It sounds absurd, doesn't it? But intentional boredom is a superpower. Don't rush to fill every single lull in your day with a screen. Try sitting in a queue without checking your phone, or waiting for a friend to arrive without immediately pulling it out. These small moments of stillness allow your mind to wander and to be truly present in the world.
Find a non-digital replacement
If you're using your phone to fill a void, find a healthier substitute. Keep a book, a sketchpad, or a journal nearby. Go for a brisk walk, make a cup of tea, or call a friend for a proper chat. The key is to have a go-to activity that doesn't involve a screen when you feel that familiar urge to scroll.

This doesn’t mean you need to throw your devices in the river and go totally off-grid. It’s ultimately about being more mindful and intentional with our time and energy. It’s about empowering ourselves to make conscious, deliberate choices in a digital landscape that is, by design, trying to disempower us.