Nir Eyal

Sure. So if we know, go back to what we were talking about earlier, that all distraction is a desire to escape discomfort, and this discomfort comes from these internal triggers, we need to ask ourselves, what is the preceding emotion? What is that sensation that comes right before the distraction? And that actually is preceding. Probably the most difficult step because we become so habituated.

Sure. So if we know, go back to what we were talking about earlier, that all distraction is a desire to escape discomfort, and this discomfort comes from these internal triggers, we need to ask ourselves, what is the preceding emotion? What is that sensation that comes right before the distraction? And that actually is preceding. Probably the most difficult step because we become so habituated.

The brain is a cognitive miser. It wants to seek the path of least resistance. So when it feels discomfort, what's the quickest thing that can solve that problem? If I'm hungry, where is there a snack? If I'm thirsty, where can I get a drink, right? So it really immediately wants to find the easiest path to get what we want.

The brain is a cognitive miser. It wants to seek the path of least resistance. So when it feels discomfort, what's the quickest thing that can solve that problem? If I'm hungry, where is there a snack? If I'm thirsty, where can I get a drink, right? So it really immediately wants to find the easiest path to get what we want.

The brain is a cognitive miser. It wants to seek the path of least resistance. So when it feels discomfort, what's the quickest thing that can solve that problem? If I'm hungry, where is there a snack? If I'm thirsty, where can I get a drink, right? So it really immediately wants to find the easiest path to get what we want.

And the way we know we want something is that we feel this internal trigger. We feel this discomfort. So when we train our brains that at every drop of a hat, of boredom, uncertainty, discomfort, stress, anxiety. Where's my phone? Where's the TV? Where's the cigarette? Where's the drink? When we train ourselves to do that, it becomes easier and easier.

And the way we know we want something is that we feel this internal trigger. We feel this discomfort. So when we train our brains that at every drop of a hat, of boredom, uncertainty, discomfort, stress, anxiety. Where's my phone? Where's the TV? Where's the cigarette? Where's the drink? When we train ourselves to do that, it becomes easier and easier.

And the way we know we want something is that we feel this internal trigger. We feel this discomfort. So when we train our brains that at every drop of a hat, of boredom, uncertainty, discomfort, stress, anxiety. Where's my phone? Where's the TV? Where's the cigarette? Where's the drink? When we train ourselves to do that, it becomes easier and easier.

That actually does become a habit, something we do with little or no conscious thought. And so what we have to do is to reintroduce that space between the stimulus and the response, right? As Viktor Frankl said, that's where our humanity lies is between that stimulus and response. So just recognizing what is going on there. What am I doing here? What feeling precedes that sensation?

That actually does become a habit, something we do with little or no conscious thought. And so what we have to do is to reintroduce that space between the stimulus and the response, right? As Viktor Frankl said, that's where our humanity lies is between that stimulus and response. So just recognizing what is going on there. What am I doing here? What feeling precedes that sensation?

That actually does become a habit, something we do with little or no conscious thought. And so what we have to do is to reintroduce that space between the stimulus and the response, right? As Viktor Frankl said, that's where our humanity lies is between that stimulus and response. So just recognizing what is going on there. What am I doing here? What feeling precedes that sensation?

And oftentimes it is that negativity bias that the reason we are so addicted to the news, and I don't blame social media, all forms of media. I don't care if it's the New York Times. If it's CNN, if it's Fox News, if it's the BBC, if it's Facebook, it doesn't matter. All of them thrive on negativity bias. They don't tell you all the wonderful things that happen in the world today.

And oftentimes it is that negativity bias that the reason we are so addicted to the news, and I don't blame social media, all forms of media. I don't care if it's the New York Times. If it's CNN, if it's Fox News, if it's the BBC, if it's Facebook, it doesn't matter. All of them thrive on negativity bias. They don't tell you all the wonderful things that happen in the world today.

And oftentimes it is that negativity bias that the reason we are so addicted to the news, and I don't blame social media, all forms of media. I don't care if it's the New York Times. If it's CNN, if it's Fox News, if it's the BBC, if it's Facebook, it doesn't matter. All of them thrive on negativity bias. They don't tell you all the wonderful things that happen in the world today.

No, they only tell you about the plane crashes and the murders and the wars and all the bad stuff because guess what? The first rule of journalism is if it bleeds, it leads. And so that's what they tell you because we love the negativity bias. Why? Because it was evolutionarily beneficial. Good things are nice, bad things can kill you.

No, they only tell you about the plane crashes and the murders and the wars and all the bad stuff because guess what? The first rule of journalism is if it bleeds, it leads. And so that's what they tell you because we love the negativity bias. Why? Because it was evolutionarily beneficial. Good things are nice, bad things can kill you.

No, they only tell you about the plane crashes and the murders and the wars and all the bad stuff because guess what? The first rule of journalism is if it bleeds, it leads. And so that's what they tell you because we love the negativity bias. Why? Because it was evolutionarily beneficial. Good things are nice, bad things can kill you.

So our brains are uniquely tuned to scan our environment and look for threats. That's not a bug, that's a feature. We're supposed to be like that. It makes us vigilant against dangerous threats. But that negativity bias, when it's used against us to sell our attention to advertisers, it goes too far.

So our brains are uniquely tuned to scan our environment and look for threats. That's not a bug, that's a feature. We're supposed to be like that. It makes us vigilant against dangerous threats. But that negativity bias, when it's used against us to sell our attention to advertisers, it goes too far.

So our brains are uniquely tuned to scan our environment and look for threats. That's not a bug, that's a feature. We're supposed to be like that. It makes us vigilant against dangerous threats. But that negativity bias, when it's used against us to sell our attention to advertisers, it goes too far.