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'We're designing minds': Industry insider reveals secrets of addictive app trade

Smart, Virginia; Grundig, Tyana
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/marketplace-phones-1.4384876

Publisher:  CBC
Date Written:  03/11/2017
Year Published:  2017  
Resource Type:  Article

A look at the science and psychology behind the 'technological arms race' which seeks to keep people fixated on their smartphones.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

One of the most popular techniques, he says, is called variable reinforcement or variable rewards.

It involves three steps: a trigger, an action and a reward.

A push notification, such as a message that someone has commented on your Facebook photo, is a trigger; opening the app is the action; and the reward could be a "like" or a "share" of a message you posted.

These rewards trigger the release of dopamine in the brain, making the user feel happy, possibly even euphoric, Brown says.

"Just by controlling when and how you give people that little burst of dopamine, you can get them to go from using [the app] a couple times a week to using it dozens of times a week."
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