Obsessions, Addictions and Compulsions | Adam Alter on the danger of irresistible technology

Did you know that the average American checks email within 6
seconds of arriving at work? Or that 75% of adults say they spend
the entire day within an arm’s reach of their phones?


Whether we want to admit it or not, the smartphone has become a
critical extension of our lives. And it’s easy to understand why.
Smartphone technology allows us a number of communication options
including voice calls, text messages, video chat and instant
messenger. We have immediate access to the information and are
constantly connected to the web. And with the advancement of
mobile technology, we can do our banking, shop online, check
movie times, check our heart rates, edit photos, publish blog
posts - anytime, anywhere.


But what is this convenience really costing us?


In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, we’re talking with
renowned social psychologist, Adam Alter. Adam is an Associate
Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of
Business. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of two
books: Irresistible, which considers why so many people today are
addicted to so many behaviors, from incessant smart phone use and
internet use to video game playing and online shopping. And Drunk
Tank Pink, which investigates how hidden forces in the world
around us shape our thoughts, feelings and behaviors.


Adam has also written for the New York Times, New Yorker,
Washington Post, Atlantic, WIRED, Slate, Huffington Post, and
Popular Science, among other publications. He has shared his
ideas on NPR's Fresh Air, at the Cannes Lions Festival of
Creativity, and with dozens of companies, including Google,
Microsoft, Anheuser Busch, Prudential, and Fidelity, and with
several design and ad agencies around the world. His academic
research focuses on judgment and decision-making and social
psychology, with a particular interest in the sometimes
surprising effects of subtle cues in the environment on human
cognition and behavior. His research has been published widely in
academic journals, and featured in dozens of TV, radio and print
outlets around the world.


Adam and Ana delve into the many ways our smartphones have become
obsessive addictions. They look at how technology is precluding
us from having a balanced life, and the serious implications this
has on our social interactions with others and our capacity for
compassion, empathy and connection. They discuss the role
businesses play in perpetuating addictive behaviors by using
strategic tactics when it comes to user experience. And they talk
about what it would mean to withdraw and detox from screen
experiences so that we can learn how to create a new sense of
well-being in our lives.


This episode is all about becoming more aware. Because the more
informed we are about the addictive nature of technology and even
of business practices that keep us coming back for more, the more
able we are to demand more - from ourselves, from others, and
from the companies that we support.