Why Social Media Addiction Mirrors Lab Rats' Reward-Seeking Behavior
Explore groundbreaking research revealing how social media engagement triggers reward-based behaviors similar to those observed in lab rats, shedding light on the psychology behind smartphone and social media addiction.
Our craving for virtual rewards drives us much like treats motivate animals.
Recent studies estimate that about one in four individuals under 25 struggle with smartphone and social media addiction. Fascinatingly, this interaction with digital devices closely resembles how laboratory rats press levers to receive food rewards.
Researchers from New York University investigated how social media participation—especially the quest for likes—is governed by fundamental reward-learning behaviors. While human motivations vary, the core pattern aligns with how many animal species seek rewards.
Analyzing over one million posts from more than 4,000 Instagram* and other social media users, scientists discovered that people develop posting rhythms that maximize their engagement. Simply put, the more likes posts receive, the more frequently users share new content.
This average behavior pattern represents a form of reward maximization, a phenomenon also observed in animals foraging for food.
To delve deeper, the team conducted an online experiment with 176 participants who posted memes on a platform similar to Instagram*. The results confirmed that the more successful the posts, the more frequently users published new content—demonstrating basic reward-based learning akin to animals seeking nourishment.
Lab rats placed in Skinner boxes offer a vivid comparison: they press levers to obtain treats, and the frequency of pressing increases with the number of rewards received.
“These findings reveal that social media interactions follow fundamental cross-species principles of reward learning. They help us understand why social networks have become central to many people’s daily lives and offer insights from reward and addiction research on addressing challenges of online engagement.”
— Professor David Amodio, lead author from New York and Amsterdam Universities
*Note: Meta Platforms Inc. services like Facebook and Instagram are restricted in certain regions.
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