Take a photo of a barcode or cover
300 reviews for:
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
Adam Alter
3.7 AVERAGE
300 reviews for:
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
Adam Alter
3.7 AVERAGE
You can definitely tell this was written in 2017–feels very outdated and focuses more on addiction broadly and games than phones themselves.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.8 stars
Really interesting book about behavioural addiction and technology. I thought there was going to be more about social media and psychology, but it was nevertheless a super interesting read.
Really interesting book about behavioural addiction and technology. I thought there was going to be more about social media and psychology, but it was nevertheless a super interesting read.
informative
medium-paced
Remember: once your cucumber brain has become pickled, it can never go back to being a cucumber...The mantra was a cute way of saying something very confronting: that it’s impossible to ever completely escape the aftereffects of addiction.
A lot of the stuff in the book were things I already knew from reading other similar books but I enjoyed all of the stories of internet and video game addiction, including how certain games blew up in popularity or were initially conceived. That said though, I don't really know if it provides too much of a solution to these problems.
informative
medium-paced
I wanted it to be a bit more focused on technology addiction specifically, and felt it lingered too long on video game addiction, but otherwise a very informative and helpful read.
Takeaways:
1) Anything can become an addiction, even things that once brought us joy and passion. "Harmonious passions make life worth living, but an obsessive passion plagues the mind."- The example of a runner that feels compelled to run at least 6 miles even as injuries set in, because their identity and well being are intimately bound with the streak of running.
-America seems to be very good at taking things that are fun and healthy and creating a capitalistic mindset around them (youth sports). Not everything has to be taken to as far as it can go, once we lose sight of what made it fun and fulfilling in the first place means we might be heading towards addiction and need to reassess our values and goals
-behavioral addictions do exist and you can find them in the things that "fulfill a deep need, you can't do without them, and you begin to pursue them while neglecting other aspects of your life"
-another definition for addiction: "an extreme dysfunctional attachment to an experience that is acutely harmful to a person, but that is an essential part of the person's ecology and that the person cannot relinquish."
-I relate to the feeling of not wanting to be on social media because I know it makes me feel bad, yet I struggle to not have an attachment to it and often don't feel I have control over how much time I spend on it
2) "There is a big difference between liking a drug and wanting a drug. Addiction was about more than just liking. Addicts weren't people who happened to like the drugs they were taking-they were people who wanted those drugs very badly even as they grew to dislike them for destroying their lives. Wanting is much harder to defeat than liking."
-similar for Instagram/FB- "you loathe how much of your time is taking up, but you want updates as much as you did when they made you happy"
-"It isn't about the body falling in unrequited love with a dangerous drug, but rather the mind learning to associate any substance or behavior with relief from psychological pain." I feel this as well, I don't go on SM to feel happy, I go on to relieve the distress of boredom, transition, negative emotions
3) "The concept of setting one goal after another-of perfectionism- is quite new. The word barely existed in the early 1800s, but seems to be everywhere now. The internet has exposed people to goals they barely knew existed and wearable tech have made goal tracking effortless and automatic."
-definitely goes back to capitalism as well. I struggle to not feel like I should be taking on moonlighting shifts- so that I'm working harder, making more money, learning more. Even though if I'm honest with myself, I quite frequently am quite content being home doing my hobbies.
-“When you approach life as a sequence of milestones to be achieved, you exist “in a state of near-continuous failure.” Almost all the time, by definition, you’re not at the place you’ve defined as embodying accomplishment or success. And should you get there, you’ll find you’ve lost the very thing that gave you a sense of purpose—so you’ll formulate a new goal and start again.” It becomes very hard to stay present and enjoy where you are when you're constantly not feeling like you're doing enough. I want to channel my younger self more and ask- how can I incorporate fun and play into my life more? Striving for a goal feels good now and again, but when it become the only thing that matters, I lose sight of who I am
4)" Self-determination theory (SDT) explains that people are naturally proactive, especially when a behavior activates one of the three central human needs (autonomy, relatedness, competence.)"
-to help someone overcome addiction, one cannot cajole or pressure them into wanting to change, but one can ask them about whether there is anything they want to change and offer help to get them there if they would like
5) The willpower myth: "The people who are forced to exercise willpower fall first. Those who avoid temptation in the first place tend to do much better."
-environment matters a lot in helping someone change and get out of addiction, and I've started to see how my own environment affects me. I've started charging my phone outside the bedroom and found it helps a lot with not having as much proximity to my phone. I also know that making other activities more exciting and accessible helps me choose to do them rather than be on SM. I love the idea of trying to make the things you like and want to do more proximate while keeping the things that we are addicted to as far away as possible
6) "The key to overcoming addictive behaviors, then, is to replace them with something else."
-the at home retreat showed me that I was on my phone less when there were more exciting things to do instead (this is behavioral architecture: "Whatever is nearby will have a bigger impact on your mental health than whatever is farther away. Remove temptation from arm's reach and you'll find hidden reserves of willpower."
-I continue to try to create an environment that sparks creativity (would love to research more about this)
-"The key is to work out what made the original addiction rewarding."
-instead of saying "I can't use Instagram" say "I don't use Instagram"
Takeaways:
1) Anything can become an addiction, even things that once brought us joy and passion. "Harmonious passions make life worth living, but an obsessive passion plagues the mind."- The example of a runner that feels compelled to run at least 6 miles even as injuries set in, because their identity and well being are intimately bound with the streak of running.
-America seems to be very good at taking things that are fun and healthy and creating a capitalistic mindset around them (youth sports). Not everything has to be taken to as far as it can go, once we lose sight of what made it fun and fulfilling in the first place means we might be heading towards addiction and need to reassess our values and goals
-behavioral addictions do exist and you can find them in the things that "fulfill a deep need, you can't do without them, and you begin to pursue them while neglecting other aspects of your life"
-another definition for addiction: "an extreme dysfunctional attachment to an experience that is acutely harmful to a person, but that is an essential part of the person's ecology and that the person cannot relinquish."
-I relate to the feeling of not wanting to be on social media because I know it makes me feel bad, yet I struggle to not have an attachment to it and often don't feel I have control over how much time I spend on it
2) "There is a big difference between liking a drug and wanting a drug. Addiction was about more than just liking. Addicts weren't people who happened to like the drugs they were taking-they were people who wanted those drugs very badly even as they grew to dislike them for destroying their lives. Wanting is much harder to defeat than liking."
-similar for Instagram/FB- "you loathe how much of your time is taking up, but you want updates as much as you did when they made you happy"
-"It isn't about the body falling in unrequited love with a dangerous drug, but rather the mind learning to associate any substance or behavior with relief from psychological pain." I feel this as well, I don't go on SM to feel happy, I go on to relieve the distress of boredom, transition, negative emotions
3) "The concept of setting one goal after another-of perfectionism- is quite new. The word barely existed in the early 1800s, but seems to be everywhere now. The internet has exposed people to goals they barely knew existed and wearable tech have made goal tracking effortless and automatic."
-definitely goes back to capitalism as well. I struggle to not feel like I should be taking on moonlighting shifts- so that I'm working harder, making more money, learning more. Even though if I'm honest with myself, I quite frequently am quite content being home doing my hobbies.
-“When you approach life as a sequence of milestones to be achieved, you exist “in a state of near-continuous failure.” Almost all the time, by definition, you’re not at the place you’ve defined as embodying accomplishment or success. And should you get there, you’ll find you’ve lost the very thing that gave you a sense of purpose—so you’ll formulate a new goal and start again.” It becomes very hard to stay present and enjoy where you are when you're constantly not feeling like you're doing enough. I want to channel my younger self more and ask- how can I incorporate fun and play into my life more? Striving for a goal feels good now and again, but when it become the only thing that matters, I lose sight of who I am
4)" Self-determination theory (SDT) explains that people are naturally proactive, especially when a behavior activates one of the three central human needs (autonomy, relatedness, competence.)"
-to help someone overcome addiction, one cannot cajole or pressure them into wanting to change, but one can ask them about whether there is anything they want to change and offer help to get them there if they would like
5) The willpower myth: "The people who are forced to exercise willpower fall first. Those who avoid temptation in the first place tend to do much better."
-environment matters a lot in helping someone change and get out of addiction, and I've started to see how my own environment affects me. I've started charging my phone outside the bedroom and found it helps a lot with not having as much proximity to my phone. I also know that making other activities more exciting and accessible helps me choose to do them rather than be on SM. I love the idea of trying to make the things you like and want to do more proximate while keeping the things that we are addicted to as far away as possible
6) "The key to overcoming addictive behaviors, then, is to replace them with something else."
-the at home retreat showed me that I was on my phone less when there were more exciting things to do instead (this is behavioral architecture: "Whatever is nearby will have a bigger impact on your mental health than whatever is farther away. Remove temptation from arm's reach and you'll find hidden reserves of willpower."
-I continue to try to create an environment that sparks creativity (would love to research more about this)
-"The key is to work out what made the original addiction rewarding."
-instead of saying "I can't use Instagram" say "I don't use Instagram"
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Compelling, erudite, well communicated. The chapter on how social media has distorted our ability to set meaningful goals and experience satisfaction in completing them seemed novel and important.