Slot machines make billions of dollars a year around the globe. They make more money than all of the other games in a casino combined. It’s a simple psychological device.
Step 1: You play
Step 2: You either win or almost win (a.k.a. You lose)
Step 3: Dopamine is released in your brain
Hint: Step 3 is the key to the whole thing. Now consider your phone.
Step 1: You look at your phone
Step 2: You either have a notification or you don’t
Step 3: If yes, Dopamine is released in your brain
When you look at your phone, you are checking for notifications such as
- Emails
- Phone calls
- SMS/Slack/Chat
- Twitter Activity
- Facebook Activity
- New Podcast
- Breaking News
- A patch of digital vegetables needs collecting
- Etc
Every time you look, simply put, you are pulling the slot machine arm and asking the digital universe, “What do I win?” Each little notification is something to do, something to react to, something to be happy about.
And a little dopamine is released.
If you have no notifications and you look at your phone, you feel a bit sad, a bit neglected. Every time you see something new, you feel a bit energized, happier.
The most successful digital platforms are the ones that give you that dopamine hit regularly. It’s no coincidence.
I’ve started thinking about my phone differently since I noticed this parallel. How addicted am I to my dopamine hit? Can I NOT look at my phone? Will I start to feel withdrawal symptoms? Would I be happier with or without it?
We are such primitive creatures sometimes.
Whatya think?