The Science of Compulsive Online Behavior | Mary Aiken

The average person checks their phone 200 times a day. It borders on addiction for some, but according to cyberpsychologist Mary Aiken there are easy ways to unlearn this compulsion. Aiken's book is "The Cyber Effect: A Pioneering Cyberpsychologist Explains How Human Behavior Changes Online" ().
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Transcript - Do you know that the average person checks their cell phone 200 times a day. And when actually they come home from work cell phone checking increases. So why is that? People talk about internet addiction. Let me explain the science behind it. Very bold ratio and intermittent reinforcement aspects of technology. What does that mean? It means that technology and the internet particularly is like a giant slot machine. Every so often you hit something great. You find a great link, a great website. Every so often you get a brilliant email praise from your boss. Or that text that you’ve been waiting for. And that is far more addictive than if every piece of communication was positive or if every piece was negative. So technology can actually target our developmental Achilles heel. It can elicit negative behavior. People call it internet addiction. I’m not somebody who believes in internet addiction. Why? You cannot be addicted to air. You cannot be addicted to water. Technology is here to stay. Read The Full Transcript Here: .