Dr. Richard Cytowic

The thing that makes the smartphone so addictive is the companies have really honed in on what psychology calls positive intermittent reinforcement. And this is the same thing that slot machines use.

is that you know you're playing a slot machine and you get you get a minor hit then get a medium head then you get a larger hit and you keep you keep putting money into the machine hoping to get a big jackpot and this is what scrolling and you know the thing so the scroll is what i call the infinite scroll there's no end to the scroll you just keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling

is that you know you're playing a slot machine and you get you get a minor hit then get a medium head then you get a larger hit and you keep you keep putting money into the machine hoping to get a big jackpot and this is what scrolling and you know the thing so the scroll is what i call the infinite scroll there's no end to the scroll you just keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling

is that you know you're playing a slot machine and you get you get a minor hit then get a medium head then you get a larger hit and you keep you keep putting money into the machine hoping to get a big jackpot and this is what scrolling and you know the thing so the scroll is what i call the infinite scroll there's no end to the scroll you just keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling

So you got a little hit of something interesting or amusing or meaningful or important. And so you keep scrolling, hoping for something bigger and a bigger hit. And it never comes. And that's how they have us hooked.

So you got a little hit of something interesting or amusing or meaningful or important. And so you keep scrolling, hoping for something bigger and a bigger hit. And it never comes. And that's how they have us hooked.

So you got a little hit of something interesting or amusing or meaningful or important. And so you keep scrolling, hoping for something bigger and a bigger hit. And it never comes. And that's how they have us hooked.

But often for many people, there isn't anything better to do. They're bored and they're looking for stimulation. I mean, we have associated the phone with pleasure. I mean, it gives us all these really pleasurable things and in a way, frightening, I think.

But often for many people, there isn't anything better to do. They're bored and they're looking for stimulation. I mean, we have associated the phone with pleasure. I mean, it gives us all these really pleasurable things and in a way, frightening, I think.

But often for many people, there isn't anything better to do. They're bored and they're looking for stimulation. I mean, we have associated the phone with pleasure. I mean, it gives us all these really pleasurable things and in a way, frightening, I think.

They won't. then they have become wholly captive to this tech industrial complex. And so they are now at the mercy of a third party who determines what they will see, what they will think, how they will feel.

They won't. then they have become wholly captive to this tech industrial complex. And so they are now at the mercy of a third party who determines what they will see, what they will think, how they will feel.

They won't. then they have become wholly captive to this tech industrial complex. And so they are now at the mercy of a third party who determines what they will see, what they will think, how they will feel.

Well, one of the things that really concerns me is virtual autism, which you see particularly in younger individuals. And that is young individuals who have a very high screen exposure show symptoms that are similar to developmental autism. That is, they refuse to make eye contact. They have reduced language. They have reduced social interaction.

Well, one of the things that really concerns me is virtual autism, which you see particularly in younger individuals. And that is young individuals who have a very high screen exposure show symptoms that are similar to developmental autism. That is, they refuse to make eye contact. They have reduced language. They have reduced social interaction.

Well, one of the things that really concerns me is virtual autism, which you see particularly in younger individuals. And that is young individuals who have a very high screen exposure show symptoms that are similar to developmental autism. That is, they refuse to make eye contact. They have reduced language. They have reduced social interaction.

This has been shown in a number of different studies that the greater the screen exposure, the greater the social isolation, the greater the lack of eye contact and the deeper the loss of language.

This has been shown in a number of different studies that the greater the screen exposure, the greater the social isolation, the greater the lack of eye contact and the deeper the loss of language.

This has been shown in a number of different studies that the greater the screen exposure, the greater the social isolation, the greater the lack of eye contact and the deeper the loss of language.

and what is remarkable is that unlike developmental autism if you take the screens away these symptoms reverse and these have been shown that you know kids have been who have been shipped away to camp where there's no screens of any kind and after just five days all of a sudden they start talking to one another and interacting socially