Sajad Nazir
Dopamine, often dubbed the “feel-good hormone,” or wanting more hormone. It is a neurotransmitter in our brain and is released when we engage in pleasurable activities, motivating us to repeat those actions again to experience the same pleasure again. This is the foundation of any habit formation, as the pursuit of dopamine, and the pleasure it brings, encourages us to repeat behaviors and frequent repetition leads to habit formation .
For instance, dopamine surges when we enjoy delicious food, achieve victory in a game, complete a task successfully and receive praise, listen to music, or engage in social interactions. However, addictive substances like drugs, cigarettes, and gambling also trigger significant dopamine release, creating a strong sense of pleasure that drives their repeated use.
Beyond pleasure, dopamine plays a crucial role in memory, attention, learning, and movement. It’s a complex neurotransmitter that significantly impacts our behavior and well-being. Social media platforms are designed to be addictive and they often exploit the dopamine loop.
Social media addiction works in a similar fashion,when you see a notification on your phone your brain expects a reward ,dopamine is released ,when someone likes your photo or someone leaves a nice comment on your photo and you get an instant happiness(reward) . It is like your brain writing a diary entry that I am happy because of this thing. The excitement keeps decreasing to more than 100 likes, only 20 comments ,and a few more followers. It’s not enough you start wanting more excitement, which leads to more compulsive social media behaviours and slowly you start falling into a pit.
The question is why aren’t we equally addicted to everything, why don’t we become addicted to studying ,why don’t we become addicted to qualifying any exam, why we only become addicted to social media, drugs , cigarettes, gambling.
There are two main reasons behind one is easy access and the second is instant reward. how easily accessible are the events and how soon do you get the reward for doing it. The more instant a pleasure and easy access the more you get addicted to that social media plate form.
Similarly any activity where excess is reduced and reward isn’t instantaneous it is difficult for you to get addicted to that thing eg if you want to read a book you need patience until you have read a few pages ,it will take a lot of time if you want to do any activity that needs time and mental or physical exertion you will lack motivation and interest in doing that task because it lacks instant pleasure.
These are the two main risks to get addicted to anything Social media Reels uses the same principle by providing a constant stream of novel, personalized content that triggers rapid dopamine releases, keeping users in a loop of endless scrolling. Each swipe up provides an unpredictable reward—a funny clip, a stunning visual, or a viral meme. This uncertainty keeps users pulling the lever, or swiping up, because the brain gets trapped into a loop of constant dopamine by watching 20 -25 sec reels and every new reel provides a quick hit of dopamine. which trains the brain to crave more of that stimulation. Over time, this can dull your brain’s response, making it harder to find enjoyment in less stimulating activities.
Experts link the effect of reels to addictive substances or gambling because they both stimulate the same reward circuits in the brain. This repeated overstimulation can rewire neural pathways, leading to impulsive behavior and a loss of self-control over your scrolling habit.
Reels use AI-powered algorithms that analyze your behavior—what you watch, like, and share—to constantly refine your feed with content that perfectly aligns with your interests. This creates a personalized “video drug” that is nearly impossible to resist and you keep scrolling for hours without realising it. The seamless, endless stream of content removes any natural stopping point, enabling mindless “doom scrolling” where you lose track of time and effort.
The correlation is that with higher levels of dopamine in the modern world you judge time intervals as shorter, and thus time seems to pass by faster than it actually was before . As the adage goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
The habit of switching from one video to the next decreases the brain’s “tolerance” for sustained attention and makes it harder to focus on tasks that require more time.Young people may experience greater attention fragmentation and have more trouble concentrating and studying after watching a lot of short-form video content.
Other effects include sleep disturbances due to the effect of screen light on melatonin hormone and neck and spine issues due to craning their head down for hours while on screen which increases weight of your head 10-40 times more on your cervical spine and leads to chronic neck pain.
The goal is that the young generation should understand how these social media platforms are hacking their brain chemistry and constant pursuit of artificial dopamine from social media can be incredibly distracting. It can drain your energy, time, and focus, pulling you away from your real-life goals, studies, and well-being. You might not even realize it’s happening, but this cycle can negatively impact your mental health, critical thinking skills, and overall future. It’s like your brain is being hacked!
“India’s DPDP Rules, 2025 transform data protection from a legal idea into a living system that safeguards every citizen’s digital identity. For the first time, privacy, accountability and innovation stand on the same foundation.”
To protect yourself, be mindful of how much time you spend on these platforms. Recognize that the likes and shares aren’t the same as genuine connection or accomplishment. Prioritize activities that give you natural dopamine, like pursuing your passions, spending time with friends and family, and taking care of your physical and mental health. These things will build a stronger, happier you in the long run.”
Author is a Vocational Trainer at Govt Higher Secondary School Chuntimulla. He can be mailed at sajadsajad34365@gmail.com
Comments are closed.