How Smartphones and SNS Reshaped Our Brains (Insights from InstaBrain)
‘Dopamine: The Double-Edged Sword of Focus and Addiction’
In the opening of the book InstaBrain, the author dives into our brains and hormones. If you’ve read any psychology or neuroscience books, you’ll notice a recurring theme: the human brain. One key player is a hormone called dopamine.
Many have heard of it as the “reward hormone.” However, the book clarifies that dopamine is released in anticipation of a reward, not just after receiving it. It’s the excitement before the meal, not just the satisfaction after.
Originally, dopamine was a survival hormone, directing our attention to things that would help us survive, like new information. The problem is, in modern life, we spend hours every day glued to smartphones and SNS. In this environment, this ancient mechanism is making us increasingly miserable.
Smartphones and SNS flood us with endless information—stimulating ads, perfect influencer bodies, exotic travel photos—every few seconds. Each time, our brain releases a hit of dopamine. We fall into a swamp of constant novelty, becoming addicted to the endless feed provided by smartphones and SNS. This chronic exposure leads to stress from sleep disruption and feelings of inferiority (reduced serotonin) due to relative deprivation. Ultimately, this daily stress can manifest as depression.
‘Can We Really Multitask on Smartphones and SNS?’
The problems don’t end there. Many believe they are masters of “multitasking”—using smartphones and SNS while watching TV or working. The book, echoing concepts from The Organized Mind, bluntly calls these people liars.
What we call multitasking is actually the brain rapidly switching its focus from one task to another.
When you watch TV while scrolling through smartphones and SNS, your brain is quickly shifting attention between the two sources. This switching requires an “adaptation time” or a delay to refocus on the new object. This not only increases the brain’s energy consumption but also reduces work efficiency. While people claim their performance doesn’t suffer, experiments show that multitaskers have lower memory retention and task proficiency.
‘I’m Not Unhappy on Instagram?’
Finally, this is the issue I resonated with most regarding the usage of smartphones and SNS. We’ve heard about the negative impacts since the early days of Facebook, and now Instagram has been around for quite some time. The accumulated data is stark.
Long-term use of smartphones and SNS is linked to lower happiness and increased stress leading to depression. Yet, some claim they find satisfaction through these platforms. They exist, but they are the minority—only 7% of users. What distinguishes those who feel happy from those who feel stressed?
People who actively post about their daily lives and communicate with others on smartphones and SNS tend to feel happier. In contrast, “lurkers” who rarely post and only consume others’ content are more likely to feel inferiority and stress.
Reading this made me realize my own attitude. Before using Instagram for book promotion, I had a personal account where I didn’t communicate; I just watched others’ seemingly happy lives. Seeing their perfect lives on smartphones and SNS while mine felt stagnant was irritating (relative deprivation), so I eventually deleted the account. My experience confirms that this tendency is stronger in people who are already under stress.
‘How to Live Wisely with Smartphones and SNS’
We are told to stay away from these devices, but how can we control something so deeply embedded in our lives? Teenagers show the highest rates of depression and stress from smartphones and SNS addiction. However, reducing their average daily use from 3-4 hours to under 2 hours (a digital detox) significantly decreased stress and depression.
Furthermore, exercise is mandatory. As many psychology and brain science books emphasize, our brains are still stuck in the Stone Age. Physical activity, especially running, was essential for survival and required maximum concentration. Exercise is incredibly effective not only for focus but also for reducing stress caused by the overuse of smartphones and SNS. The author validated this by prescribing running to depression patients and seeing significant improvements.
I deeply empathize with this. Running is an indispensable stress-relief tool for humans. I once felt a complex mix of anger, sadness, and injustice after a betrayal. I couldn’t talk to anyone and felt like I would explode. So, I just ran. After running 10km, I regained my reason and calmed down. I ran every day for about two months. Perhaps running when I couldn’t bear it anymore was a natural evolutionary response to save myself.
Finishing this book, two thoughts lingered: “I must gift this book to anyone getting married or raising children,” and “I need to read more and become wiser for my own child.” No one wants to raise a child with poor impulse control due to unrestricted access to smartphones and SNS. While many parents may already realize this, I leave this book recommendation for those who might not. I’ll end with a quote from the book:
“We limit how much technology our kids use at home.” – Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple –
Further Reading for Context
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