In my last blog I discussed behavioral addictions and how they are formed. Specifically, I shared how tech companies use a very specific formula to “hook” us. This formula involves a Trigger, Action, Variable Reward, and Investment. In this blog, I’m going to pick up the baton and dive a bit deeper into the topic of “triggers.”
1. What is a trigger?
New habits need a foundation on which to be built, which comes in the form of an external trigger. An external trigger exists in the environment and prompts an individual to take a specific action. External triggers include ads, viral videos, featured apps, recommendations from friends, and other environmental cues like an app icon on a device’s home screen.
However, once a behavioral becomes coupled with a physical sensation, emotion, thought, or existing routine, there is an internal trigger signaling the activation of the behavior. This is the pinnacle of habit-forming technologies.
You are bored and need stimulation
You are anxious and need to relax
You are irritated and need to get your mind off the problem
You are sad and need to feel good
You are lonely and need to connect
Emotions are extremely powerful internal triggers that drive us to take action in order to alleviate the negative emotional state.
2. How Does It Work?
Initially, an external trigger signals a desire for pleasure. Over time, however, we don’t go back to the behavior for the pleasure, we go back to alleviate discomfort. That is why we feel a need to do things we don’t necessarily like anymore. It doesn’t matter if the discomfort is significant or relatively minor, perhaps even outside one’s conscious awareness. The effect is the same.
When it comes to habitual behaviors, positive and negative feelings are two sides of the same coin. Excitement satiates boredom. The joy of connection serves to relieve feelings of loneliness. And a sense of calm engagement elevates stress.
3. Why Is It So Powerful?
When a behavior provides relief to discomfort, a strong behavioral habit is likely activated and the bond between the two grows stronger over time. In the field of neuropsychology, there is a popular term coined by the neurologist Donald Hebb in 1949, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” And when a behavior is powerfully paired with the relief of a distressing feeling, at some level, you’re “hooked.”
It is not surprising then that many online behaviors are associated with underlying emotional distress. Depression is associated with time online. So is anxiety, particularly social anxiety. Now, is it the negative emotion that is driving the problem behaviors? Or do the problem behaviors also exacerbate the negative emotions over time resulting in an ever-deepening spiral of negative emotional states and problem screen use?
4. Sounds Pretty Bad. Is it?
Now, external triggers are not inherently good or bad. It simply depends on whether we are using them with intention or blindly allowing them to run our lives, perhaps even into the ground. Used properly, they can aid us in many ways. Used unskillfully, however, and they can wreak havoc on our productivity and wellbeing.
The key then is to examine the ways in which our technology use is serving us well and how it is not. Is your tech use getting you distracted? Is it having an impact on your production or your relationships? What might you do to keep what is helpful and let go of what is harmful? We’ll keep diving deeper into these topics. And if you find it is hard to change your behaviors on your own, it may be time to get support.