Why Social Media is a Drug too and how scrolling impacts your body.

Sober October
Written By Johannes Ebert

Why Social Media Is a Drug Too: How Endless Scrolling Impacts Your Body and Mind

Imagine a world without social media—no notifications, no likes, no endless scrolling through feeds. It feels almost unimaginable, doesn’t it? Social media has become such an integral part of our daily lives that it’s easy to forget how deeply it influences us. Whether we’re checking Instagram while waiting in line, scrolling through TikTok in bed, or catching up on Twitter during lunch, we’re constantly engaging with content that impacts our mood, attention, and even physical health.

Let’s be honest: social media is a drug. And we all know that… are we?
Wis this article I intended #soberoctober and did some research about five substances (Sugar, Alcohol, Tobacco, caffeine & Social Media and how those impact our Body / Mental health.

Platforms are designed to keep you hooked, capturing your attention with techniques that exploit the brain’s natural reward system. And just like with other addictive substances, the consequences of excessive social media use are serious, affecting not just our mental state but also our physical well-being. Let’s explore why social media is as addictive as a drug, the ways it impacts us consciously and unconsciously, and what we can do to take back control.

The Addiction Cycle of Social Media: How It Hooks You

Social media platforms are not just random feeds—they are meticulously engineered to keep you coming back. Developers use principles of psychology to create dopamine-driven feedback loops. Every like, comment, or share you receive triggers the release of dopamine in your brain, the “feel-good” chemical that makes you feel rewarded. But just like with any addictive substance, this feeling doesn’t last long, leaving you craving more.

Here’s how the social media addiction cycle works:

Craving: You feel bored, stressed, or anxious, and instinctively reach for your phone. The anticipation of seeing new notifications or fresh content activates your brain’s reward system.

Hit: When you get a like, follow, or positive comment, you receive a dopamine rush. This creates a momentary feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

Crash: When the excitement fades, you’re left feeling unsatisfied, prompting you to scroll again in search of the next “hit.”

Repeat: This cycle keeps you trapped in a loop of craving, checking, and needing more engagement.

Over time, this habit becomes harder to break as your brain adapts, requiring more stimulation to achieve the same dopamine response. Social media, much like an addictive drug, can create dependency and affect your mood, attention span, and productivity.

The shocking Numbers: How Much Time Are We Spending on screens?

Globally, the average person spends 2.5 hours per day on social media. For some, that number is much higher. Studies show that the typical user checks their phone around 96 times a day—that’s roughly once every 10 minutes Pew Research Center. This constant checking creates a pattern of behavior where we are always semi-connected to our feeds, scrolling for something new to capture our attention.

This is a major shift in how we spend our time and attention. Social media is more than just a pastime; it’s something that has infiltrated almost every part of our day, affecting our mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.

How Social Media Impacts Your Brain

Your brain is not built to handle the constant barrage of information and validation that social media throws at you. Here’s how prolonged use impacts different aspects of your mental function:

1. Reduced Attention Span: Social media trains your brain to expect constant stimulation and instant gratification. As a result, prolonged use makes it harder to focus on tasks that require sustained attention. Over time, this can decrease your ability to concentrate, making even small tasks feel overwhelming Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

2. Increased Anxiety and Stress: Constant exposure to carefully curated content can make us feel inadequate or left out, creating feelings of comparison anxiety. This fear of missing out (FOMO) drives people to keep checking their feeds, leading to a cycle of stress and dissatisfaction American Psychological Association.

3. Sleep Disruption: Scrolling through social media late into the night can wreak havoc on your sleep. The blue light from screens disrupts melatonin production, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Additionally, the stimulating content keeps your brain wired, making it harder to wind down and fall asleep Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

4. Dopamine Overload: Social media encourages a near-constant release of dopamine. With every notification, your brain receives a little “hit” that keeps you coming back. But, as with any drug, your brain eventually develops a tolerance to these dopamine releases, meaning you need more frequent validation to feel the same pleasure. This leaves you feeling unsatisfied when you don’t get enough likes or responses, perpetuating the cycle of constant scrolling National Institute of Mental Health.

The Hidden Effects of Social Media: How It Impacts Your Body and Mental Health in Ways You’re Not Aware Of

Beyond the obvious effects on attention, mood, and sleep, social media has more subtle, often overlooked impacts on our health. Here’s how social media silently shapes our lives in ways we might not even realize.

1. Impact on Self-Esteem and Body Image

Scrolling through carefully curated feeds can subtly erode your self-esteem. People tend to post idealized versions of their lives—perfect vacations, flawless skin, gym selfies—which create unrealistic standards. Even if we logically know these images are filtered or posed, they still impact us emotionally. Studies have shown that regular exposure to these “highlight reels” can lead to body dissatisfaction, self-esteem issues, and even disordered eating habits, especially among younger users Royal Society for Public Health.

2. Chronic Stress and Cortisol Levels

The constant need to stay connected and respond to notifications can keep your body in a state of low-level stress. Every time you hear a “ping,” your body releases cortisol, the stress hormone. Over time, these frequent cortisol spikes can contribute to chronic stress, which has been linked to a range of health issues, including high blood pressure, weakened immune response, and even increased anxiety and depression National Institute of Mental Health.

3. Unconscious Changes in Social Behavior

Social media is subtly changing the way we interact in real life. People who are heavily reliant on social media for connection often find it harder to engage in face-to-face conversations, leading to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation. This shift happens unconsciously, as the brain starts to prioritize virtual interactions over real-world connections, making people feel socially disconnected despite being constantly “connected” online Pew Research Center.

4. Impaired Memory Formation

While social media is often thought of as a way to capture memories, it can ironically impair your ability to remember events clearly. Research suggests that when people are constantly distracted by capturing moments for social media, their brain fails to encode these events fully into long-term memory. Instead of being fully present, they experience a fragmented version of reality, which weakens their overall memory of the experience Journal of Experimental Psychology.

5. Lowered Empathy and Emotional Disconnect

Frequent use of social media can also lead to a decrease in empathy. Reading about others’ problems online, where everything is filtered through screens and comments, can reduce our natural empathetic responses over time. Known as “empathy fatigue,” this desensitization makes it harder for us to relate to people’s real struggles in person, which weakens our emotional connections American Psychological Association.

Taking Control: Steps to Reduce Social Media’s Impact

If you feel like social media is taking over your life, you’re not alone. But you can take steps to reclaim your time and mental well-being:

1. Set Screen Time Limits: Most smartphones have features that track and limit social media use. Use them to reduce the amount of time spent on social media each day.

2. Turn Off Notifications: Reduce the constant need to check your phone by turning off non-essential notifications.

3. Unfollow Accounts that Trigger Negative Feelings: Curate your feed to include only accounts that uplift or inspire you, rather than those that trigger feelings of inadequacy or FOMO.

4. Practice Digital Detoxes: Dedicate certain times (like weekends or evenings) to being phone-free and focusing on in-person interactions.

Personal Note:
Through all the research writing this I learned a lot myself. The Message behind this article is to become more aware - what is happening, what we are not aware yet and consume with more awareness.

I dont want to say we have to go to zero. I am also part of the game and still learning how to use SocialMedia to promote my business, interact with people and using it as a tool to reach out to an audience.
Coming from an addicted place I know how it feels to be powerless in the trap of coping with Videos and Social Media Content.

For me it always supports me to go back to zero and learn how to consume content in a conscious way. Regular fasting is my method and conscious times of being abstinent from everything. - read more here.

Looking forward reading your thoughts on that in the comments.

Warmly
Johannes

Johannes Ebert https://www.johannesebert.com
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