If my daily writing has been characterized by anything, it’s been the theme of waking. Waking from our addictions, habits, and attachments. Waking to the Divine Love that might reorder our lives. All that writing has led to today, the day The Book of Waking Up: Experiencing the Divine Love that Reorders a Life releases!
Read MoreJeremy, a friend and world-class photographer, shared about his own social media experience:
"Last year, I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and just became more angry with the abuse I saw in religious systems. More angry with the President. More angry with the troll posting racist memes. When I wasn’t angry, I saw my friends’ posts on Instagram—parties, date nights, impromptu gatherings, even their incredible work—and FOMO crept up on me. That’s when I knew I needed a break.”
Read MoreAs we learned yesterday, the ‘dopamine fast” is the new fad in the tech industry. The purpose? Denying pleasure now to experience greater pleasure later. Deny food. Deny eye contact. Deny Netflix, Twitter, sex. Deny, deny, deny, in the hopes that this form of Silicon Valley asceticism will lead to a heightened rush of whizz-bang chemicals when returning to feasting, drinking, making eye contact, binging Netflix, tweeting, or doing It. (Yes, that “It.”)
Read MoreLast week was a deep dive into neurochemistry, into the ways dopamine motivates, fuels, and locks in any habit, attachment, or addiction. What’s more, we examined how the tech purveyors in Silicon Valley know this, how they design their social media platforms to maximize the flow of dopamine in an attempt to drive addiction. Silicon Valley—aren’t they the socially acceptable drug dealers of our day?
Read MoreYesterday, I shared how the cues that prime the dopamine pump during social media use—unpredictability, incomplete satisfaction, and the cues of potential rewards—fuel our want for a quick fix of Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (or Twinstabook as I call it). This same brain chemistry fuels other reward-seeking behaviors, too.
Read MoreDopamine—as I wrote yesterday, it’s the neurotransmitter fuels our pleasure-seeking and plays a part in instigating, motivating, and rewarding desire. It’s the life of the party. But does dopamine play a part in our modern social media obsession?
Read MoreThis week, I’m building on last week’s Waking theme. If you missed it, go back and read from the beginning. Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from my forthcoming book, which builds on yesterday’s piece “The Ways we Cope: Sex and Chocolate and Alcohol (Oh My!).”
Read MoreConsider the objects of our desires: sex, chocolate, alcohol, shopping, work, food, even narcotics. Ask yourself, Why do you turn to them in times of stress? What do they have in common? As I asked last week, what do they do for you?
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