by Adam Alter
arecoline, 30
Ariely, Dan, 173
Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease, 1968 meeting, 19–20
Aston-Jones, Gary, 53, 54–55
attention span, 28–29, 39–40
aversion therapy, 279–81
Avery, Steven, 199, 200
Back, Kurt, 275–76
badges, 298, 299
bad is stronger than good principle, 219
Bailenson, Jeremy, 142
bait-and-switch campaigns, 152
Balcetis, Emily, 144–45
Barrus, Michael, 138
Beamon, Robert, 98–100, 106
Beezid.com, 152–54
beginner’s luck, 159–62
behavioral addiction, 1–10
attention span and, 28–29, 39–40
behavioral architecture and, 273–92
biology of, 68–89
Bradford Regional Medical Center treatment program, 255–56
children’s introduction to digital world and, 39–44
in China, 251–54
cliffhangers and, 191–213
compulsion, relationship to, 20–21
cost-benefit calculations and, 5
defined, 20
disruptive and distracting nature of, 13–19, 39–40
DSM recognition of, 254–55
elements of, 9
environment and circumstance, role of, 4, 46–67
escalation and, 167–90
exercise and, 18–19
feedback and, 121–46
future of, 317–20
gamification and, 293–316
goal-setting and, 5–6, 93–120
habits and, 268–73
infants, visual attention in, 19–20
magnitude of problem of, 6–7
motivational interviewing and, 258–62
in 1960s versus 2010s, 4
nipping addictions at birth, 237–63
obsession, relationship to, 20–21
obsessive passion, relationship to, 21–22
overcoming, 263–92
progress and, 147–66
reSTART program for, 248–50, 255
rise of, 13–45
scope of problem, 24–29
smartphones and, 13–16
social interaction and, 214–33
solutions for, 9–10
substance versus, 8–9
symptoms of, understanding, 22–24, 25–26
tech experts recognition of addictive nature of their products, 1–5
treatment approaches, 248–62
behavioral architecture, 273–92
disarming technique for cliffhangers and, 287–89, 291
finding ways around addictive experiences, 287–92
planning fallacy and, 289–90
proximity of temptation and, 273–77
punishments versus rewards and, 278–81
reinforcing good behaviors and, 282–84
relational spending and, 284
tools for blunting immediacy of addictive experiences and, 284–87
“Behavioral (Non-Chemical) Addictions” (Marks), 76–77
Bernays, Martha, 33
Berns, Greg, 204, 207
Berri, Dave, 161
Berridge, Kent, 85–89, 152, 187
betel nuts, 30–31
Bilton, Nick, 2, 4
binge-watching, 208–12, 287–89, 290–91
biology of behavioral addiction, 68–89
APA inclusion of behavioral addiction in DSM, 80
blurring of line between substance and behavioral addiction, 81, 82–85
brain patterns and, 70–71
destructiveness and, 76–78
dopamine production and, 71–72
early adulthood as highest risk period for addiction, 74–75
instinctive survival behaviors and, 73–74
liking versus wanting and, 86–88
Parkinson’s disease patients, behavioral addictions resulting from treatments for, 82–85
psychological response to experience of addiction and, 73–75, 77–79
punding behaviors and, 81–82
sleep deprivation and, 68–70
Blakemore, Colin, 230–32
blue light, 69–70
Bogost, Ian, 313–14, 316
boredom, 46
Boston, Ralph, 98
Bosworth, Adam, 300–301
bowling, 159–60
Bradford Regional Medical Center treatment program, 255–56
Bradley, W. C., 38
brain patterns, 70–71
Branson, Richard, 279
Breaking Bad (TV show), 31–32, 208, 210
Breen, John, 296–97
British Journal of Medicine, 76
Brodsky, Archie, 78–79
Buick, Lucas, 214, 216
Burkeman, Oliver, 117
Business Insider, 159
butt-brush effect, 184
Butterworth, Adrian, 112
buttons, 121–25
calorie counting, 185, 186
Canabalt (game), 155, 163–64
Candler, Asa, 38
Candy Crush Saga (game), 137–38, 165
Cash, Hilarie, 228–30, 232–33, 245, 248–49
Cavanagh, Terry, 179–81
cell phones. See smartphones
Center for Internet Addiction, 165
Center for Motivation and Change, 258–59
Chalke, Steve, 112
Champ, The (movie), 168
Chase, David, 201, 202–3
Chawla, Rameet, 128–29
check boxes, 209–10
children, 39–44. See also infants
attention spans of, 39–40
boys, and time spent gaming, 42–43
communication skills, effect of online/cell phone interactions in development of, 40–41, 242–43
DANVA2 test scores before and after week of social interaction, 238–40
digital amnesia and, 242
first experiences of digital world, 39–40
hardship inoculation and, 241–42
learning by, 174–75
parenting principles, Steiner-Adair’s formulation of, 250–51
recommendations for media consumption by young, 245–47
reSTART program for, 248–50
screen versus face-to-face playtime, 237
teenage girls’ interaction with social media, 41–42
China, 251–54
Christison, Robert, 32, 35
chronic sleep deprivation, 68–70
circumstance, and addiction, 4
C.K., Louis, 243
cliffhangers, 191–213
binge-watching and, 208–12, 287–89, 290–91
disarming technique for, 287–89, 291
micro-, 205–8
in songs, 194–96
in The Sopranos, 201–3
unresolved real-life crime documentaries and, 196–201
Zeigarnik Effect and, 193–94
Coca-Cola, 38
cocaine, 29, 32–39, 71
Christison’s discovery of effects of, 32
Freud’s research on and addiction to, 33–36
Pemberton’s French Wine Coca (Coca-Cola) and, 37–38
coca plant, 31, 32
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Internet Addiction (CBT-IA), 256–57
cognitive decline, effect of multitasking games on, 312–13
Cohen, Gaby, 115–16
color coding, 157–58
comments, 217
communication ski
lls, 40–41, 242–43
The Company of Others, 269
compulsion, 20–21
compulsive shopping, 205–8
Connolly, Billy, 83–84
Contrera, Jessica, 41–42
Cooper, Grahame, 230–32
cost-benefit calculations, 5
Cow Clicker, 313–14
creation requiring labor and effort, and addictive acts, 173–74
credit cards, 188
Crossy Road (game), 162–63
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, 176
cue, of habits, 268
Cushman, John, 49–50
Dai, Xianchi, 266
Daimler, 277
DANVA2 (Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Behavior), 238–40
Darling Darleen (blog), 206
Davies, Lynn, 99–100
DDB Stockholm, 293–95
Dement, William, 19
Demetricator, 285–86
Demos, Moira, 199
Denby, David, 241
dental hygiene for children, gamification of, 300
destructiveness, and addiction, 76–78
Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Behavior (DANVA2), 238–40
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), 80, 254–55
digital amnesia, 242
disarming technique, for cliffhangers, 287–89, 291
disguised losses, 133–34
distraction, 267–73
Dixon, Mike, 133–34
Doan, Andy, 230–31, 232, 244
Dollar Auction Game, 149–52
Donkey Kong (game), 148
“Don’t Stop Believin” (Journey), 202
dopamine, 71–72
Berridge’s rat experiments blocking production of, 85–88
Parkinson’s disease treatments, side effects of, 82–85
Dorbowski, Richard, 215
Dorshorst, Ryan, 214, 216
Dredge, Stuart, 142
Duhigg, Charles, 268
Dunning, Dave, 144–45
Durst, Robert, 199
Duval Guillaume Modem, 121–22
early adulthood, as highest risk period for addiction, 74–75
Earth, Wind & Fire, 194
ease, effect of replacing challenges with, 167–69
education, gamification of, 302–5
Edwards, Griffin, 161
email, 4, 23, 109–11
frequency of checking office, and disruptive effect of, 109–10
study preventing workers from accessing, findings of, 110–11
emotional amblyopia, 232
emotions, reading, 238–40
empathy, 40–41
empowering language, and habit formation, 272–73
endless loop, in songs, 194–95
endless runner games, 164
end of history illusion, 318
energy systems, 155–57
Entertainment Tonight, 196
Entertainment Weekly, 197
environment and circumstance, role in addiction of, 4, 46–67
memory and, 57–60
rat experiments, of Olds and Milner and, 52–57
Routtenberg’s monkey experiments and, 57–60
Vaisberg’s World of Warcraft addiction and, 60–66
Vietnam War veterans’ heroin addiction and, 46–52, 59–60
escalation, 167–90
creating something, sense of, 173–74
ease, effect of replacing challenges with, 167–69
flow and, 176–79
hardship and, 168–69
ludic loops and, 177–79
near wins and, 181–83
stopping rules, disruption of, 184–90
in Super Hexagon, 179–81
in Tetris, 170–73, 175–76
zone of proximal development and, 174–76
ether precipitation, 46–47
euphoria, 55
“Evil” (Wonder), 195
exercise addiction, 18–19, 112–16, 185–86, 306
extrinsic rewards, 261
Facebook, 3, 4, 5, 127–28, 216, 217, 318, 319
FaceMash, 224
Facetune, 220
FarmVille (game), 157–58, 164–65, 316
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 313
feedback, 121–46
button pushing and, 121–25
juice and, 137–39
likes and, 127–29
losses disguised as wins and, 133–34
mapping and, 139
microfeedback, 136–37
motivated perception and, 144–45
near wins and, 145–46
slot machine gambling and, 130–36
unpredictability and, 126–27
variable reinforcement and, 143
video games and, 136–43, 158–59
virtual reality and, 139–43
Ferriss, Tim, 279–80
Feshbach, Seymour, 264
Festinger, Leon, 275–76
Fishbach, Ayelet, 266
Fisher, Helen, 75–76
Fiske, Susan, 305–6
Fitbit, 113–14, 185, 286, 295
fitness trackers, 113–14
fitness watches, 2–3
Fitocracy, 299
Flappy Bird, 42–43
flash-sale websites, 205–7
Fliess, Wilhelm, 34
flow, 176–79
Flow (Csikszentmihalyi), 176
Foddy, Bennett, 16, 136–37, 138–39, 189, 289–90
“For the Love of Money” (Polk), 118
Frances, Allen, 23
FreeRice.com, 296–97
French Wine Coca, 37
Freud, Sigmund, 33–36, 264, 265, 275
friendship formation, 275–77
Fritz, Michelle, 116
The Fun Theory (ad campaign), 293–95
gambling, 129–36, 144–46
Game Boy, 171
Game Show Network, 163
game shows, TV
barriers to entry, lack of, 163
Larson’s game show success and addiction to goal-setting, 100–106
gamification, 293–316
cognitive decline, effect of multitasking games on, 312–13
criticisms of, 312–15
DDB Stockholm’s Fun Theory ad campaign and, 293–95
of dental hygiene for children, 300
of education, 302–5
of fitness, 299
health apps and, 300–302
medical benefits of, 309–12
points, badges and leaderboard elements of, 298, 299
of SAT vocabulary learning, 296–97
therapeutic properties of, 309–12
variety and, 299
of workplace, 305–9
Garfors, Gunnar, 112
Gillan, Claire, 71
Gilt, 205–7
Glu Games, 159
Gneezy, Uri, 315
goal-setting, 5–6, 93–120
Beamon’s long-jump record and, 98–100
as biological imperative, 107
email and, 109–11
exercise addiction and, 112–16
Internet and, 111–12
Larson’s game show success and addiction to, 100–106
marathon runners and, 95–97
Parkinson’s patients and, 93–95
rise in, since 1950s, 107–9
social comparison and, 118–19
streaks and, 115–16, 117
systems approach as alternative to, 117–18
Godfather, The (movie), 202
Gold
, Lesley, 2
Golden Rule, 268, 269–70
Goldhill, David, 131, 143, 145, 162–63, 169
Goldstein, Dan, 209
Google, 298
Google+, 128
Google Books, 167
Google Cardboard, 141–42
Google Glass addiction, 44–45
Google Trends, 210–11, 212
Graham, Ruth, 200
Griffiths, Mark, 24–26
Groceryships, 119
Grosser, Benjamin, 285–86
Guinness Book of World Records, 111, 171–72
Guinness World Records, 112
habits, 268–73
elements of, 268–69
empowering versus disempowering language and formation of, 272–73
forming new, difficulty of, 271–72
replacing bad routines with good, 268–71
underlying motives, tailoring routine override to, 270–71
HagTVedt, Henrik, 272
Haier, Richard, 172
HappyBidDay.com, 152
hardship, 168–69
hardship inoculation, 241–42
harmonious passions, 21, 22
Harris, Tristan, 3
Harvest Moon (game), 164
HBO, 199
health apps, gamification of, 300–302
Health Lab, 302
Heath, Robert, 55
Heldergroen, 277
heroin
brain patterns and, 71
harm score for, 48–49
military crackdown on use of, 49–50
Robins’ study on relapse rates of returning vets, 51–52
Vietnam War veterans and addiction to, 46–52, 59–60
Hilton Garden Inn, 308
Hipstamatic, 214–17
Hochmuth, Greg, 3
Hodson, Gordon, 265
Holesh, Kevin, 13–15
Hollywood (game), 158–59, 165, 316
Holmes, Emily, 311
Hong, James, 221–24, 226
hooks
Dollar Auction Game and, 149–52
penny auction websites and, 152–55
Hot or Not (website), 221–26
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big (Adams), 117
Hsee, Chris, 186–87
Huffington, Arianna, 68–69
Hunter, Dan, 298
incomplete tasks, tension arising from, 193–94
infants
active engagement versus passive viewing, 247
attention spans of, 39–40
qualities of healthy screen time for, 246–47
recommendations for media consumption by, 245–47
response to screen time of, 244–45
transfer of learning and, 246–47
visual response to contour and motion of, 19–20
infants, visual attention in, 19–20
Instagram, 3, 4, 5, 9, 122, 128, 129, 216–17, 218, 318, 319
instinctive survival behaviors, 73–74
Internet addiction