Smartphones actually trigger our fear of being slowest antelope in the herd
Apr 10, 2017, 7:53 AM | Updated: 9:31 am
Last night on “60 Minutes” we learned that what makes Silicon Valley geniuses so rich is that they have learned to harness addiction.
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Not the old-fashioned way – by drugging you – but the modern way, by creating apps that make your brain drug itself.
We heard from programmers who explained that Facebook and Instagram are designed to flood you with “Likes” – just when you might be thinking of leaving the app.
“You’re guinea pigs in the box, pushing the button and sometimes getting the likes,” Ramsay Brown said. “And they’re doing this to keep you in there.”
“They want you to use it for long periods of time because that’s how they make their money,” Tristan Harris said.
And you can’t help yourself, because the phone has so completely programmed your brain, that putting the phone down triggers the release of the fight or flight hormone, Cortisol.
“And it starts to make you anxious, and eventually your goal is to get rid of that anxiety, so you check in,” said psychologist Larry Rosen.
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So we’re getting these Cortisol shots all day because of smartphone anxiety! Which I’m convinced is why we all tailgate – the phone triggers our fear of being the slowest antelope in the herd.
But it’s OK– technology always finds a solution for every problem it creates.
Like this app called Sway, which uses the phone’s motion sensing to detect slow, continuous movement to help the user bring attention to the body.
So as long as you move at a relaxed pace, Sway will play soothing music. But if you deviate, you get a notification to refocus and remain present.
I think I just got a refocus notification. Oops – no it’s just Trump.
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Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
