Dopamine, commonly referred to as a “feel-good” or “happy” hormone, dictates our brain’s reward system and neural pathways. It’s released after we experience something rewarding, like eating, socializing, or achieving a goal. It makes us more likely to repeat that good action, playing a role in anticipation and motivation for future tasks. However, as modern lifestyles have evolved, our brain now gets a constant overdose of dopamine–all the time.

Addictions are developed due to the constant satisfaction you feel after something–it could be drugs, or even just social media. Each video is short, less than a minute long, and delivers an instant burst of entertainment or novelty, which leads to continuous reinforcement. Our brain doesn’t have to wait long for the next reward, and with each scroll, we’re more and more entertained and our brain’s dopamine system gets worse and worse.

Over time, our ability to get a quick “dopamine boost” from watching three short 30-second videos makes it almost impossible to obtain the same pleasure from reading, studying, or long-term tasks that require more waiting for a reward. Even watching a movie or having a conversation may seem “boring” in comparison to the rapid, successive burst of dopamine we obtain from watching multiple different videos. 

This translates to shorter attention spans and less motivation to undergo longer tasks, which directly impacts our ability to have friendships, feel satisfaction with daily tasks and pleasures, and function normally. Too much dopamine leads to impulsivity, addiction, and even conditions like schizophrenia. Even consuming junk food leads to the same dopamine release, fueling binge-eating disorders. The brain naturally tries to regulate dopamine through reuptake (reabsorbing it) and downregulation (reducing receptor sensitivity after absorption), but the more time we spend on social media, the harder it becomes for us to balance our neural receptors and find satisfaction in menial things. This keeps us constantly in search of the next novelty, which can lead to compulsive phone-checking and a social media addiction. 

As technologies have evolved to produce shorter and shorter videos and apps like Instagram and TikTok are more commonly used, it becomes harder to motivate yourself to seek out stimuli for motivation. This can lead to the feeling of burnout, or disappointment, or even depression. It can be difficult to put your phone down, but in the long run, hobbies like exercising, reading, and baking are far better for your brain’s reward system than scrolling on your phone.