Category: Relationships

• The opposite of addiction is connection

  The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection.— Johann Hari

  In the podcast episode The Opposite of Addiction by Your Undivided Attention, Johann Hari makes the case that addiction, amongst other mental health issues, is a symptom of a deeper problem of a disconnected society. The issue of internet addiction isn’t the internet itself but rather the void it helps us fill. In other words, addiction is escapism. Prior to Professor Bruce Alexander’s groundbreaking study on rats, rat parks and social connection, what we knew about addiction came from rat studies that used the Skinner box experiment to assert the idea that addictive drugs caused addiction. These Skinner box experiments would put a rat alone in an empty cage with two water bottles; one containing just water and the other containing water laced with either heroin or cocaine. The result? The rat would almost exclusively drink the drug-laced water until it died of overdose. These studies concluded that addiction is caused by addictive drugs.

  (more…)

  2021-04-20

  ---

• #Textiety: Is texting culture giving us anxiety?

  Texting culture has burdened us with the expectation to be reachable and responsive 24/7. What is such expectation costing us? Although I didn’t feel entirely alone in suffering from texting induced anxiety, I didn’t think the problem was relevant enough to grant clinical terms such as textiety and textaphrenia. Text messaging, while an essential part of communication providing a quick and convenient method to stay connected with our family, friends, and acquaintances, the expectation to be reachable and responsive 24/7 can be stressful and overwhelming for many. Mental health professionals are reporting anxiety around texting show up in their practice, and it is now part of a new area of research and treatment related to mobile devices and online communication.

  (more…)

  2021-03-30

  ---

• Online dating for those who don’t like online dating

  Online dating is almost as old as the Internet itself. The first online dating website, kiss.com, was established in 1994, only a year after the Internet went public. Match.com, a dating website many of you might be familiar with, has been around since 1995. This isn’t surprising. From the printing press to mobile apps, humans have always found ways to use technology to find love. In 1870, The Matrimonial News became the first newspaper for singles. Men paid $0.25 (about $4.50 today) to place an ad, and women posted for free. By 1900, there were over 20 similar newsletters. In 1959, a Stanford student’s class project became the first known computer dating service when an IBM 650, an early digital computer, determined similarities between 98 participants based on a 30-question profile. While there was little romance between the participants, the project became the pioneer of contemporary online dating services. In 1965, Operation Match launched as the first computer dating service in the United States, and was used by more than a million people in the 1960s. Since Operation Match‘s success in the 1960s, online dating has become increasingly popular. Online dating is now the second-most-common way for couples to meet. In fact, online dating is now responsible for approximately 20% of marriages.

  (more…)

  2021-02-08

  ---