WHY DO WE? –
Mar. 6, 2026 – Rosy didn’t love her videos, Doucleff realized. Nor did she love the ultraprocessed Ritz crackers she begged for at the grocery store. Rosy was caught in a wanting feedback loop. The more she watched and ate snack foods, the more she wanted to watch and eat. There’s a separate, second system in our brain that makes us like what we’re wanting and feel satisfied when we get it, Doucleff told NPR. Modern technology splits the systems apart, so we’re left always wanting more, even when whatever we’re doing — whether it’s scrolling TikTok or eating potato chips — doesn’t bring us much, or any, pleasure.
“One of the big misconceptions is that kids are on screens because it makes them happy and brings all this joy and pleasure in their lives,” Doucleff said. The data told a different story. “In many ways, it’s robbing us of pleasure in our lives.”
