We are not addicted to smartphones, we are addicted to social synergy

We all know people who, apparently unable to live without the bright screen of their phones for more than a few minutes, constantly send text messages and verify what friends do on social networks.

These are examples of what many see as the antisocial behavior of smart phone addiction, a phenomenon that has attracted media attention in recent months and has led investors and consumers to demand that technology giants address this problem.

But, what if we look at things incorrectly? Could addiction to smartphones be hyper-social, not antisocial?


Professor Samuel Veissière, a cognitive anthropologist who studies the evolution of cognition and culture, explains that the desire to look and see others, but also to be seen and followed by others, is deeply rooted in our evolutionary past. Humans have evolved to become a unique social species and require constant input from others to seek guidance for culturally appropriate behavior. It is also a way for them to find meaning, goals and a sense of identity.

In a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, Samuel Veissière and Moriah Stendel, researchers at McGill's Department of Psychiatry, reviewed the current literature on the dysfunctional use of smart technology through an evolving lens. they exploit the human desire to connect with other people.

Healthy impulses can turn into unhealthy addictions

While smartphones respond to the need for a normal and healthy sociality, Professor Veissière admits that the pace and magnitude of hyperconnectivity pushes the brain's reward system to work in overdrive, which can lead to unhealthy addictions. .


"In post-industrial environments where foods are plentiful and readily available, our cravings for fat and sugar sculpted by distant evolutionary pressures can easily become an insatiable overdrive and lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease (...) Rewards [of using smartphones as a means of connection] can also be diverted to produce a manic hypersocial surveillance theater, "the authors write in their article.

"There is a lot of panic surrounding this issue," explains Veissière. "We try to offer good news and to show that our desire for human interaction is addictive and that there are solutions simple enough to face it."

Disabling automatic notifications and setting the correct hours to verify your phone can help you regain control of your smartphone's dependence. The research suggests that labor policies that "ban e-mail at night and on weekends" are also important.


"Instead of starting to regulate technology companies or use these devices, we should start having a conversation about how to use smartphones," the professor said in a recent interview. Parents and teachers should be aware of the importance of this situation. "