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According to the 2025 Global Web Index, people are on the Internet an average of 6.5 hours a day. In addition to this, individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 spend another 2.5 hours online. That is a lot of time and attention spent away from other interests, family, community and nature. What is it that is so compelling?
Commander Dr. Andrew Doan is a specialist in problematic gaming and technology use. He is also possibly the only neuroscientist who has overcome a gaming addiction. He says anytime there is arousal, there can be addiction because it feels good. The arousal stimulates the adrenaline rush, which combined with dopamine on the dopamine-reward pathway, is the perfect recipe for addiction. Additionally, “Gaming companies will hire the best neurobiologists and neuroscientists to hook up electrodes to the test-gamer. If they don’t elicit the blood pressure that they shoot for –typically 180 over 120 or 140 within a few minutes of playing, and if they don’t show sweating and an increase in their galvanic skin responses, they go back and tweak the game to get that maximum addicting and arousing response that they’re looking for.”
