Has dopamine got us hooked on tech?

• Discovered in 1957, Dopamine is one of 20 major neurotransmitters, brain chemicals that communicate between nerves and cells.
• In the 50s the chemical was associated with physical movement, which changed 30 years later when new experiments proved it to be associated with mental stimulation, addiction, desire, sex drive and ambition.
• Dopamine is crucial for movement control, memory, mood, cognitive activity, sleep and attention.

Companies, advertising agencies and tech giants slowly realized the power of dopamine.

Tech companies which already rely on persuasion lapped up this ‘sex, drugs and rock’n’roll’ molecule, essentially hacking the human mind after learning about its basic vulnerability, using the knowledge to increase the rate at which people use their services.