When it’s Smart to Put Down the Phone

(NewsUSA) - Most Americans spend hours each day scrolling through their phones, but an expert at New York Institute of Technology warns this habit may lead to smartphone addiction—releasing the same neurochemicals as hard drugs.

“Smartphones have the same chemical reaction in the brain as drugs and alcohol,” said Melissa DiMartino, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at New York Tech. “Getting ‘likes,’ messages, and notifications from your phone releases dopamine, which makes us feel good, and in turn, we want to repeat these feel-good behaviors. However, when we don’t get them, we feel depressed and lonely, which creates an adverse effect,” she said.