The more social media we have, the more we think we are connecting, yet we are really disconnecting from each other

5% to 10% of internet users struggle to control how much time they spend online.

Can't Log Off?

Different from substance addiction, the use of social media and the addiction to it's consumption and interaction, is considered a psychological addiction, much like an addiction to gambling and to porn.Although considered a psychological addiction, brain scans show a similar impairment in regions that those with substance dependence have. Specifically there's a clear degradation in white matter in the regions in charge of emotional processing, attention and decision making.

A Psychological Drug?

The current programming of most social media offers immediate stimulating rewards with very little effort. Therefore the brain rewires itself to account for this overstimulation.If your brain is the one going through this change, you'll begin to crave more of these neurological excitements.

More More More...

Studies have shown that when comparing heavy media users to others, they perform much worse at task switching tests.Heavy multitasking online actually impairs your ability to filter out interference and even decreases your brain's capability for commiting information to long term memory

Multitasking Fallacy

Have you ever felt like your phone vibrated when it actually didn't?You check for a notification because you felt a vibration or heard a ring, but nothing...This is a recent psychological phenomenon caused by our brains' rewiring due to heavy technological use.An itch ends up being interpreted as a buzz from our phones...

Phantom Vibration Syndrome

Since social media triggers the release of dopamine, scientist studied this, and they found that the reward systems in people's brains are much more active when they're talking about their own views.Around 80% of internet usage is about people posting about their own views, not listening, not sharing, but spreading their own ideas.

Your Life. Your Thoughts. Your Internet

While most people might think that relationships are likely going to be affected by all these downsides of social media, it has actually been found that a lot of relationships succeed when they begin online.What's the cause? You may ask...Well it's unclear, but it might be due to people being more open about what they want, since they're behind a screen and can disappear if it doesn't work out. It allows you to test the waters without getting too involved too quickly.Hence if you really know what you want and don't want, online dating could actually be a great tool to find a great match.

Are Relationships Getting Destroyed Or Built?

Social media is a community effort, everyone is an asset.

The effects of social media on your body and on society.

Your brain may never be the same!
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Written and created by Mitchell Moffit (twitter @mitchellmoffit) and Gregory Brown (twitter @whalewatchmeplz).

Further Reading--

Abnormal White Matter Integrity in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder: A Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Study
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0030253

Phantom vibrations among undergraduates: Prevalence and associated psychological characteristics
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212000799

Cognitive control in media multitaskers
http://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15583.abstract?sid=113b39d8-d0b5-4f46-b2a5-362ee79d0b61

Amygdala Volume and Social Network Size in Humans
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079404/

What is the role of dopamine in reward: hedonic impact, reward
learning, or incentive salience?
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/research&labs/berridge/publications/Berridge&RobinsonBrResRev1998.pdf

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5 Crazy Ways Social Media Is Changing Your Brain Right Now

Ways in which social media changes brains and society

Breathe 😌Take a pause and allow yourself to be silent. Be at peace with your inner and outer environment and accept life as it is in this moment.Get recharged!

Embrace Stillness

This trap will leave you wanting more and never feeling satisfied, leaving you in a vicious cycle with an unfulfilled hole...Persevere and be patient. Enjoy the process, not just the rewards.

Resist Instant Gratification

Single-tasking is the new black. We live in a society that encourages and overvalues multitasking, yet this is mostly a cause for stress than an actual efficency booster. Too much stress accumulates and ends up undermining productivity and efficiency.Focus on one thing at a time, give your full attention to one task, more so even, to whatever is in front of you in the present moment. Remember the present moment is a gift!

Single-Tasking

Remember that your life runs on your own clock, do not let outside forces manage your timing. Time is a valuable resource that should be used to share valuable moments with our loved ones and our communities.Life is a storytale full of moments, not a race ruled by minutes.

Your Life Isn't A Race

3 golden habits that will change your relationship with time, allowing you to enjoy life in such a fast paced society.

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Habits to Live a Joyful Life 

WE ALL ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING INTO HIGHER BEINGS

Discover the amazing transformation of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly! 🐛🦋 Watch as they go through these incredible stages:<ol><li>Egg: Tiny and attached to a leaf 🥚</li><li>Caterpillar: Feasts and grows over 10x in size 🍽️</li><li>Pupa: Wraps itself in a chrysalis 💎 </li><li>Butterfly: Emerges and spreads its wings, ready to fly! 🪽 </li></ol>How amazing! Remember that transformation takes time and is worth it in the end! 🦋 🌺 #Metamorphosis

Story of Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis begins with unblocking. This is the next step, building new structure.

DO NOT CONFORM; TRANSFORM

Metamorphosis has always been the greatest symbol of change for poets and artists. Imagine that you could be a caterpillar one moment and a butterfly the next.

To grow or develop, in space or time, towards a higher or further stage.We all go through processes that fuel our progress through life. All processes add to the movement towards our goals and dreams. No actions or events are useless or meaningless, they all contribute to our progress. No matter how small, it all adds up.

Progress

Progress is inevitable. We all make it.No matter how bad it may seem for your personal view of your life or life in general, it all changes, because everything is in constant transformation. Learn to recognize the steps you took that led you here, and you'll likely find progress in one way or another, even if the same mistakes are repeated, something is definitely different; in fact the sole act of recognizing failure and mistakes, is a progress away from not doing so. So ask yourself... What can I do today that I couldn't do a year ago?

Giving Yourself Credit

Failure is success in progress

Development from a simpler to a more complex stageGrowth is what happens to us from the day we are born, actually even before that, since the day of conception we grew into a higher and higher being. Much like plants we grow based on our circumstances and our inner processes. And just like different plants have different growth speeds we also develop uniquely; don't compare yourself and appreciate your own growth.

Growth

We all grow through our unique style, we manifest our own art.It is important to embrace and cultivate our own creativity and expression, rather than conforming to others.Here are some tips to help you embrace your own art:<ul><li>Be authentic: Don't try to be something you're not. Embrace your true self and let your art reflect that.</li><li>Explore different mediums: Experiment and find what speaks to you.</li><li>Trust yourself: Don't be afraid to take risks and try new things. You never know what you might discover.</li><li>Don't compare: Everyone's style is unique.</li></ul>

Embrace Your Growth: your own art and style 🎨

A journey through space and time.Progress and Growth are two concepts that interconnect and represent the journey through our life's processes.It's a journey of transformations, from the most microscopical to the most macroscopical. At every moment we are making progress in some direction or another and growing with it. Our focus determines our progress and that in turn influences our growth.Remember that every deed adds up to your character.

Progress And Growth

Remember, your art is a reflection of you and there is no right or wrong way to create. Embrace it and let it shine! ✨

Let Us Shine!

Progress and Growth are like mirrors; Both conceptualize the reality of a journey through which we all evolve.

Ways in which social media changes brains and society

Habits to Live a Joyful Life

Progress and Growth

Ghozst