Mason  🏃‍♂️ ✂️

Ah ok, then maybe my disagreement is just with @primalpoly's model of what causes people's self-reported addiction to Twitter (that I thought you were endorsing), which doesn't fully match my experiencehttps://twitter.com/primalpoly/status/1092064394920349697 …

My read: in any instance where you can say "my brain's reward system has been hacked," you are making choices to meet some need or desire (effectively or ineffectively). People may point to the neurochemical layer when they're uncomfortable w/ the need or ashamed of their choices

In the same way that "my brain's reward system has been hacked" is both arguably true & a pretty useless frame for why one might feel a real compulsion to hug their partner on sight, it's an arguably true & pretty useless frame for why one might eat sugar, go for a run, or tweet

Oh, maybe we do disagree; I don't think the "my brain's reward system has been hacked" framing is useless at all when it comes to Twitter. Noticing the structural features of Twitter that make it so addictive to me was useful in reducing my overconsumption of it.

Okay, but: "I don't think the 'my brain's reward system has been hacked' framing is useless at all when it comes to my boyfriend. Noticing the structural features of my boyfriend hat make him so addictive to me was useful in reducing my tendency to tackle-hug him at the door."

Sure, I guess the addictive features of your relationship could also be a useful thing to notice, if you feel like you're overly attached (in a way that's bad for you overall) We just tend to use "hacked" about systems that are more professionally engineered for addiction

ie, it's true my reward system already causes me to make sub-optimal choices in many cases, bc of evolutionary mismatch. But Twitter and other products have the additional feature of being adversarial; their designers are actively trying to take advantage of my reward system.

Clicking on Twitter and hugging one’s boyfriend or girlfriend are NOT analogous behaviors. There is a dopamine-modulated “reward” for finding a “favorite” on your tweet. Hugging a lover causes more of an oxytocin rush, causing a feeling of closeness and caring. Not “addiction.”