Cell phones are one of man's greatest innovations, allowing us to connect and communicate with each other and the world around us like never before . Providing us with convenience and entertainment in times of boredom, loneliness and insomnia, their ubiquity comes as no surprise with an incredible 4.68 billion users worldwide, and that number continues to grow. For many, they have become just as important as the people around them and are an essential part of getting through the day. It is estimated that the average person uses their cell phone about five to nine hours per day. Cell phone addiction is a major problem in today's technology-centric society, and it has a strong and firm grip on many people's lives as its symptoms are comparable to those of drug addicts. As the influence of cell phones and social media continues to grow rapidly, psychologists and doctors around the world are conducting various studies to observe how and why these captivating gadgets affect not only our physical health, but also our mental well-being , emotional and social. well, say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that creates the sensation of pleasure and reward in our brain. It has a significant effect on strengthening and is what drives us to seek out enjoyable activities. It is especially activated in the brains of adolescents, naturally attracting them to things that boost their dopamine levels. The human brain craves dopamine and is designed to seek out the new and unknown. This may explain why so many of us feel a compulsive need to constantly check our phones in the hope that something will give us the thrill of pleasure. Cell phones provide us with a constant stream of new information generating bursts of dopamine in our minds, making it difficult to put down our cell phones. Persistent notifications of likes, messages, breaking news, vibrations and ringtones from our cell phones all stimulate dopamine. They also give us a satisfying feeling of social approval. The pleasure we feel after using our phone encourages us to use it again and again. Hyperarousing dopamine levels are directly linked to the development of addiction. This creates what doctors call a “compulsion loop,” which occurs when certain activities are repeated in order to obtain dopamine. Using variable reward and reinforcement schedules also affects how our brain functions. One commonality among various social media apps is the approximately two to three second delay when you refresh your feed. This delay in seeing the number of new notifications and posts creates anticipation that makes us addicted and compelled to check it again. The unpredictability of this feature is what makes it most addictive and causes habit development. Knowing exactly what we will encounter when we are online pushes us to reconnect. New content increases our dopamine levels and makes us want to know more. The feeling of being left out of something important or not knowing what's happening online also makes us check our phones. Our brain responds to this attraction mechanism as if it were danger, because it activates our fight or flight response, triggering.