#Smart scroll taken off how to#

'One way you can get some control is to create a counter-movement-a physical movement you do that becomes its own conditioned response,' writes Weinschenk, who clicks her home screen and places her phone face down when she realizes she's in a loop. That's why you gotta find a way to just say no-and the best way is to change what you're physically doing. Just like that scary dog-dragon in The Neverending Story, the scroll, too, can feel never-ending. Ask yourself: Are these relationships I value? Get physical. You're choosing to spend time with these people and invite them into your world every day via social media. Ask yourself: Are these relationships I value? I realized I was following the intricate and intimate details of people's lives who I barely knew in real life. If you follow fewer people, you'll have fewer updates in your feed, and less content to consume overall.īesides: You're probably following accounts that at one time you enjoyed but might have moved away from at this point in your life.Ī year or so ago, I went through my feeds and unfollowed accounts that weren't bringing me joy. Your friends are safe! But think about it-how many people do you follow that you don't actually know? (Compare that to 15 minutes of reading a really good novel when you get sucked into another world for 15 whole pages and the rest of your life falls away.)Įven if you don't immediately shut down when the timer goes off, it'll give you a little cue that time is indeed passing. I tried out the reminder and let me just say…15 minutes on your phone goes a lot faster than you'd think. (You can also choose which notifications you get.) You probably ignored this-I certainly did-but Instagram actually rolled out a new feature that allows you to track your activity and set a reminder that goes off when you hit the amount of time you want to spend in the app.

#Smart scroll taken off how to#

Here's how to notice when you're caught in the loop-and what you can do about it.

If it gives you joy, scroll away!īut if you find that excessive scrolling is taking up too much of your time (and away from other things you'd love to be doing instead), or if you feel pangs of envy looking at everyone's seemingly 'perfect' lives-then maybe take a second to stop the scroll. I'm not saying you have to put your phone in the freezer or go on a complete detox. You might finally close the app and think, 'What did I even just read?'īut look, it's not all bad! As a hardcore introvert, sometimes scrolling Insta at the end of the day is the only way for my brain to wind down and feel like it's doing something completely passive and outside of myself. That's why you can scroll long past the point of feeling amused or entertained by what you're seeing. 'It turns out the dopamine system doesn't have satiety built in.' 'Chances are what makes you stop is that someone interrupts you,' she writes.

It takes a lot to reach satiation, and in fact you might never be satisfied.'Īnd stopping isn't easy-our brains don't have a build in 'stop' button. 'With every photo you scroll through, headline you read, or link you go to, you are feeding the loop which just makes you want more. 'When you bring up the feed on one of your favorite apps the dopamine loop has become engaged,' writes behavioral scientist Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., on Psychology Today. The same thing happens when you get a positive social stimulation-aka when you get a little reward from scrolling your phone, such as seeing your likes or notifications pile up.ĭopamine is a chemical in our brains that's released after pleasure and reward-seeking behaviors-and it causes us to want them all over again. (Ever felt that post-exercise high? You have dopamine to thank.) Turns out, there's a good reason for the endless rabbit hole: it's called the dopamine loop.ĭopamine is a chemical in our brains that's released after pleasure and reward-seeking behaviors-and it causes us to want them all over again. Click, scroll, fall asleep with your phone in your hand… Without moderation, it's so easy to get sucked into the loop.Ĭheck, scroll, read. This is especially true when it comes to moderating social media use on our phones-you know, those big hunks of graphite and aluminum we hold in our hands for hours every day? I admire those people! But they are unicorns.

They can eat one square of chocolate or post a single tweet and then log off. Some people are really good at moderation.