Your Brain on Tech

Ever find yourself checking social media for no particular reason?  Or checking work email long after the workday is done? Or find yourself up late at night playing a game when you promised, to yourself or someone else, that you would shut it down by 10pm?  

Why do we do these things?  Part of the answer is referred to, in the field of behavioral psychology, as a variable reward schedule.

1.       What is a Variable Reward Schedule?

A variable reward is one of the most powerful tools used by tech companies to keep you coming back for more.  So, what is a variable reward?  Basically, we never know when the reward is coming.  If every action is rewarded, or we can consistently predict when it is coming, we get bored.  If our actions are never rewarded, we get frustrated.  But if we are rewarded just frequently enough, and never quite know when it’s coming, we will keep doing the behavior just in case the NEXT one is THE one.  

Think slot machines.  We know at some point the slot machine is going to hit the right combination of winning numbers.  It could be this turn.  It could be the next.  We just don’t know for sure, so we keep playing.  Slot machines are the classic example of variable rewards because there is no pattern as to when the reward is coming.  This type of reward schedule creates a craving for the reward, and the behavior itself, and as a result is highly addictive.  

2.                Hacking Human Psychology

Tech companies understand this very well and are literally using it to hack our brains and behaviors.  As Sean Parker of Napster and Facebook fame put it, they are “exploiting vulnerabilities in human psychology.”

This is not a knock on technology companies.  They are doing what I assume most profit driven companies do – use their knowledge of customer behavior to increase profits.  And honestly, I tip my hat to them.  As an industry, they appear to be doing this better than any industry in history.  

3.                So, What does This Look Like?

Videos, social media, and video games all use variable rewards to keep us engaged.

Netflix (and others) use cliff hangers in the final 10 minutes of a show to all but ensure we will watch the next one and keep doing so until we have binge watched an entire season in 5 days.  A cliff hanger is when, in the final 10 minutes of the show, one problem is solved but a new one is presented.  Wait.  What?  Oh no.  I have to see what happens next.

Facebook and Instagram provide this type of reward with their “like” button.  We keep posting, and logging back in over and over again, hoping each update will produce a number of “likes” that will make us feel good.

Social media sites also do this with their never-ending feeds.  We keep scrolling because we never know if just one more swipe of our finger will lead to something truly engaging.

And video games, from Minecraft to Fortnite, use this by ensuring you are always just successful enough to keep coming back for more.   

4.                Your Brain on Tech

The “seeking system” is the network in our brain that is triggered by these variable rewards.  The key neurotransmitter in the “seeking system” is dopamine and it surges when we are anticipating a reward.  

We used to think dopamine caused pleasure but that’s not actually the case.  Dopamine is activated in order to drive us towards a behavior that feels pleasurable or eases discomfort.  

In the 1940’s two researchers, James Olds and Peter Milner, stumbled upon a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which lies within the “seeking system”, and its role in driving behavior.  The nucleus accumbens is the source of our cravings – whether it is food, sex, a great deal, or our digital devices.

Essentially, when we experience discomfort the nucleus accumbens jumps into action to drive us towards behaviors, and subsequent “rewards,” that will alleviate that discomfort.  

And remember variable rewards and the role of dopamine?  Variable reward patterns activate the nucleus accumbens and spike levels of dopamine in the brain, driving us towards habitual behaviors.  

So, when we anticipate a reward, the brain experiences a surge of dopamine that keeps us on the edge of our seat waiting for it.   And a variable reward schedule keeps us at the edge of our seat, engaging in the behavior, because we know the reward is coming, we just don’t know when.  

5.                 Ironically, It Is The Dissatisfaction That Keeps Us Coming Back

Feedback comes in the form of “dings” and “flashes” of bright colors that trigger primitive parts of our brains seeking reward.  And fascinatingly, it is not the wins that are so motivating.  It is the losses.  It is the losses that keep us coming back because we are anticipating the next win around the corner.  

It’s the times we “feel” like we “almost” won.  A near loss is still a loss but our “seeking” system” does not see it that way.  

Slot machines do this.  The wheel spins and two of the three symbols match.  Lottery tickets do the same thing.  We get 3 in a row instead of 4.  We lose the same money whether it was “close” or not, but our brain does not see it that way.  Our brain thinks we almost received the reward and in response is eager to try again.  

When this happens, it is the internal distress caused by the loss, or “near win,” that compels us to act.  So, while the behavior may have come to solve one problem in the beginning, soon it is solving another – the individual’s need to resolve their internal dis-ease.  This is the new reward.  This is the new problem the behavior solves.  Not bringing pleasure but relieving discomfort.

Our show comes to an end, but we are left without a resolution to the problem.  People are not liking our post.  Maybe more people have now.  We keep scrolling past pictures that don’t interest us, hoping the next one will.  We lost the game but were so close to winning.  

6.                Most Behaviors Are Habitual

Further, our brains are remarkable at learning routines.  It makes associations and activates complex sets of behavioral chains in response to learned triggers and routines.  This allows us to carry out most activities without much, if any, conscious thought.  

This is extremely adaptive because carrying out certain behaviors on “autopilot” allows us to focus our attention on task that require more conscious attention. However, when our seeking system is hijacked, it can also lead us to develop habitual behaviors that can be difficult, though not impossible, to unwind.  

So, how do you see this playing out in your life or the life of someone you love?  What tech behaviors do you find yourself seeking, perhaps even craving, even when it is not serving you?  Again, while these behaviors are difficult to unwind, it is not impossible, and there are tools and strategies to help you do it.