The Brain's Reward System
What brain chemical is involved in rewards and motivation?
Dopamine
Why do social media companies want you to keep scrolling?
To earn more advertising money
What hormone does blue light from phones reduce?
Melatonin
Name one way to reduce your time on social media.
Set app limits, turn off notifications, or find other activities.
Why might getting an unexpected reward make you want to keep scrolling?
It causes a stronger dopamine response.
Name one thing algorithms track
watch time, likes, shares, replays
Why can watching lots of short videos make it harder to focus in class?
Your brain gets used to quick, exciting content.
What is the term for the trail of information you leave online?
Digital Footprint
What is reward prediction error?
the difference between the reward you expect to get and the reward you actually receive
Why might a mix of boring and exciting videos keep you scrolling longer?
You keep scrolling because you don't know when the next exciting video will appear.
What is the stress hormone called, and what are its impacts
Cortisol. It activates your brain and keeps you alert/awake
Why might you remember less from watching 20 short videos than from focusing on one longer video?
Your brain has less time to process and remember the information