Doomscrolling, Dopamine, and Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: The Truth About Your Phone Habit
Do you reach for your phone without really deciding to? You're mid-scroll at 11pm, exhausted, and yet... you keep going.
There's a reason for that - and it has nothing to do with willpower.
In this episode of Beyond the Type, Holistic Life and Leadership Coach Sandy Swanson digs into why our phones have such a grip on us: from the dopamine loop and the slot machine design of social media apps to the algorithm that's working around the clock to keep you engaged (whether that's good for you or not).
Sandy also introduces a concept that might sound very familiar: revenge bedtime procrastination, the very real psychological pattern behind staying up until 2am on Instagram after a long, demanding day.
You'll also hear how Enneagram Types 2 and 9 can be especially prone to this pattern - and what it might be pointing to underneath.
Sandy wraps with three simple, practical tools to help you build a more intentional relationship with your phone; no digital detox app required.
This episode is a follow-up to Sandy's earlier episode on boredom and phone use. Links below!
In this episode:
- Why phone use is a design issue, not a character flaw
- The dopamine loop and intermittent reinforcement (aka: your phone is a slot machine)
- What the algorithm is actually doing - and why it matters for kids, especially
- Revenge bedtime procrastination: what it is and why it happens
- Three tools to help you use your phone with more intention
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Beyond the Type podcast episode on phone use and boredom:
https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149101958
Beyond the Type yoga nidra meditation and body scan:
https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149101492
Jonathan Haidt's LinkedIn post on the experiment of setting up a TikTok or IG account as a 13 y/o girl:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7452459664929099777/
Jonathan Haidt's book "The Anxious Generation":
https://amzn.to/4tu8uQD
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