> What I've Learned. The Science of Internet Addiction & Willpower. YouTube, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UsI9CXHm6o>. Accessed 16 Aug. 2021. # The Science of Internet Addiction & Willpower > This is the follow up video to my other video called "How the Internet Redesigns your mind." This is more about the specific brain mechanisms that make the internet (and substances) addicting. I'm not recommending to entirely give up the internet, but it's very important to understand how it's affecting your brain so you don't start to get controlled by it. - Phineas Gage: metal rod pierced his head and destroyed his prefrontal cortex - Got out alive but with a different personality → total loss of self-control - The PFC is often at odds with the reward circuit - Dopamine is a key component behind addiction - It is responsible for "wanting", not for "liking" - Experiment by Berridge: rats with destroyed dopamine neurons had no more interest in food but still showed all the signs of liking sugar - Dopamine is also released when receiving *unexpected* rewards → learn how to get the reward again - Sapolsky: "Dopamine is about anticipation of pleasure" - The dopamine receptor is down-regulated in addicts (homeostasis) → less interest in long-term goals and hobbies - Behavioural addictions cause the same down-regulation, like Internet addiction - Internet is a novelty machine, something dopamine is very reactive to - Uncertainty increases dopamine even further - Nir Eyal, *Hooked* - The key to a successful content platform is having the cue come from within the user (feeling bored / lonely) - Drug or behavioural addiction also inhibits the prefrontal cortex's ability for executive function - Limit your smartphone usage to certain times of the day