The man who cracked the code of addiction:

Dr. Gabor Maté

He sat with Steven Bartlett and shared how addiction really works and how to target it at the root.

Here are 7 brutal truths about addiction (and how to break free): 1. Addiction isn't the problem. It's the attempted solution.

It's not a choice or moral failure.

It's an attempt to escape unbearable pain.

The substance or behavior is just the painkiller. The pain came first.

How Silicon Valley Broke Our Brains:

10 moments in tech history that rewired you for mindless scrolling:

1. The birth of Infinite Scroll (2010) Invented by Aza Raskin, this UI pattern removed natural stopping cues from apps.

No “next page,” no break, just endless feed.

It turned browsing into a slot machine.

Years later, he called it “behavioral cocaine”, and said he regretted it.

You can turn any iPhone into a "dumb phone".

Strip out distractions. Keep what matters. And switch back whenever you need.

Here’s how to do it (in under 5 minutes): First, the end result:

Once you complete this setup, you'll have a phone that works for you — instead of the other way around.

• Brick your phone in the morning and evening
• Daily limit on social media apps
• Automatically turn on grayscale at night

Your phone is destroying your child’s brain.

Not because they use it—
But because they watch you use it.

Experts call it "secondhand screen time."
And say it's as harmful as secondhand smoke.

Here's the disturbing reality (and how to protect your kids): The average adult checks their phone 96 times a day.

Each glance, each swipe, each “hang on” moment? Kids absorb it all.

And research shows this reshapes how their brain works.

Starting as early as 18 months...

UT Austin just exposed the true cost of phone addiction.

They paid 467 people to stop scrolling for 4 weeks.

The results were so powerful, they outperformed antidepressants.

Here's what happens when you escape your digital prison:🧵 467 people were made to install an app that blocked internet.

No Instagram, no Twitter, no browsers.

They could still text and call. And use computers at home or work.

They just weren't constantly "online" anymore...

I couldn't believe this.

In 2013, a Google insider discovered something so disturbing, he quit.

He found the terrifying truth behind how social media breaks our brains.

Here's exactly how it happens (and how to protect yourself): 1. The Slot machine

Every pull-to-refresh mimics a Vegas slot machine.

Sometimes you hit the jackpot (notifications)
Sometimes nothing...

This unpredictable reward system creates the same addictive pattern as gambling.

It’s 3 AM, and you're lying in bed restless.

That’s not just anxiety. That’s tech-induced insomnia.

And it’s not only stealing your sleep…

It’s fragmenting your focus and literally damaging your brain.

Here’s a 4-step fix to undo that: 🧵 Most people think they’re just “bad sleepers.”

But in reality?

They’re overstimulated. Their nervous system is misfiring.

And their sleep hormones are completely out of sync.

But what causes this?

Stanford paid 35,000 people to quit social media.

This was the largest study on emotional health in history.

The results were so shocking, scientists called it "comparable to therapy."

Here's what happens when you break free from the algorithm:
🧵 Over 35,000 people took part.

They were paid to deactivate either Instagram or Facebook for 6 weeks.

It was done right before the 2020 Presidential Election.

And the results were undeniable:

One simple decision is saving me 3+ hours a day.

I stopped doom scrolling.

That doesn't mean I don't use my phone, I just set better boundaries.

Here’s exactly how I do it (#5 is key). I was scrolling mindlessly 4+ hours a day.

Checking my phone every 5 minutes.

It was stealing my time, energy, and attention.

Here's how I set clear boundaries:

He deleted almost every app from his phone.

Then he wrote 4 bestsellers in 9 years.

Cal Newport's controversial take: Your phone is making you mediocre.

His science-backed system for getting your brain back (#3 is key): The mere presence of your phone reduces cognitive capacity.

Even when it's turned off, face down on your desk.

Your brain is working to resist picking it up.

This leaves fewer resources for thinking.

"Popcorn Brain" is the new digital epidemic.

It's why you:

• Can't finish a book anymore
• Constantly jump between tasks
• Feel mentally drained all the time

Here's how it fragments your focus (and how to get your brain back):🧵 "Popcorn Brain" is a term coined by researcher David Levy at the University of Washington in 2011.

It describes a mind that rapidly jumps from thought to thought, like popcorn kernels popping randomly.

This isn't just normal distraction...

This man was a gaming addict who failed out of college.

Today, he's a Harvard psychiatrist and leading expert on tech addiction.

Dr. K warns: "Your phone is hijacking your brain."

Here are 6 ways this is happening: (and how to escape the loop) 🧵 Unlike alcohol or drugs that hijack one part of your brain…

Your phone hijacks all of it.

Your emotions.
Your motivation.
Your attention.
Your identity.

Dr. K identified 6 specific ways this is happening:

"Popcorn Brain" is the new digital epidemic.

It's why you:

• Can't finish a book anymore
• Constantly jump between tasks
• Feel mentally drained all the time

Here's how it fragments your focus (and how to get your brain back):🧵 "Popcorn Brain" is a term coined by researcher David Levy at the University of Washington in 2011.

It describes a mind that rapidly jumps from thought to thought, like popcorn kernels popping randomly.

This isn't just normal distraction...

One simple decision is saving me 3+ hours a day.

I stopped doom scrolling.

That doesn't mean I don't use my phone, I just set better boundaries.

Here’s exactly how I do it (#5 is key). I was scrolling mindlessly 4+ hours a day.

Checking my phone every 5 minutes.

It was stealing my time, energy, and attention.

Here's how I set clear boundaries:

He deleted almost every app from his phone.

Then he wrote 4 bestsellers in 9 years.

Cal Newport's controversial take: Your phone is making you mediocre.

His science-backed system for getting your brain back: We spend 4 hours and 30 minutes a day on our phone.

That's 50 days per year staring at a small screen.

But one study found something even more alarming:

11 top celebrities who ditched social media:

(and their compelling reasons for it)

1. Cillian Murphy Cillian says he's too old for social media.

He stays off it, keeping his mystery and avoiding the self-promotion game.

One simple decision is saving me 3+ hours a day.

I stopped doom scrolling.

I still use my phone, but I set better boundaries.

Here’s exactly how I do it (#5 is key). Your phone isn't the enemy.

But, using it mindlessly can be.

Start with an app blocker like Roots (there are several good ones).

Here's how I set clear boundaries:

apps.apple.com/app/apple-stor…

"TikTok Brain" is the modern digital epidemic.

It's why you:

• Can't even read for 5 minutes straight
• Find movies "unbearably slow"
• Switch apps mindlessly when bored

Here's how it's stealing your brain power (and how to get it back):🧵 Our ability to concentrate has nosedived.

What used to be normal (e.g., reading a book) now feels like torture.

Why? Our brains are being rewired by short-form video content.

There’s a name for this:

Your smartphone is making you dumb.

Scientists call it "digital dementia," and it worsens over time.

New research shows it's causing your anxiety, poor memory, and brain fog.

Here's the science behind this (and how to get your brain back):🧵 Neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer first coined the term "digital dementia" to describe cognitive decline from overusing digital devices.

This isn't just distraction - it's actual deterioration of brain function.

And it affects you in more ways than you can think:

In 2012, Facebook ran the largest mind control experiment in history.

They secretly manipulated the emotions of ~700,000 users.

You might've been one of them.

What they discovered should terrify you (according to a Harvard Historian): Recently, on Joe Rogan, mind control expert, Rebecca Lemov, revealed some of the largest psychological manipulation studies ever conducted.

Soon she got to Facebook’s darkest experiment:

I thought I had a phone addiction.

Really, I had a problem with being present.

Eckhart Tolle says: “The present moment is all you ever have.”

Here’s how I stopped letting my phone steal it (and how you can too): 👇 Your phone is the perfect tool to keep you out of the present moment:

• Constant stimulation
• A false sense of urgency
• Distraction from the now
• Endless comparison

It's easy to get hooked and forget what you're missing.