Indistractable
by Nir Eyal; · 233 highlights
• Tech overuse at work is a symptom of a dysfunctional company culture.
“cycle of responsiveness.”
“psychological safety”
“a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.”
Knowing that your voice matters and that you’re not stuck in an uncaring, unchangeable machine has a positive impact on well-being.
• Don’t suffer in silence. A workplace where people can’t talk about technology overuse is also one where people keep other important issues (and insights) to themselves.
• Knowing that your voice matters is essential.
“Work hard and go home.”
“It’s not polite to send direct messages after hours or during weekends,”
the concept of a “sugar high” is total scientific bunk.
Apparently, our teenagers’ brains are fine—it is our brains that are underdeveloped.
But like the parents who blame a “sugar high” for their kid’s bad behavior, blaming devices is a surface-level answer to a deep question.
• Tech isn’t evil. Used in the right way and in the right amounts, kids’ tech use can be beneficial, while too much (or too little) can have slightly harmful effects.
human psyche needs three things to flourish: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
KIDS NEED AUTONOMY—VOLITION AND FREEDOM OF CONTROL OVER THEIR CHOICES
Unlike their offline lives, kids have a tremendous amount of freedom online; they have the autonomy to call the shots and experiment with creative strategies to solve problems.
“One can thus feel freedom, competence, and connection online, especially when the teenager’s contrasting environments are overly controlling, restrictive, or understimulating.”
LESSON 2: CHILDREN STRIVE FOR COMPETENCE—MASTERY, PROGRESSION, ACHIEVEMENT, AND GROWTH
If a child isn’t doing well in school and doesn’t get the necessary individualized support, they start to believe that achieving competence is impossible, so they stop trying.
LESSON 3: THEY SEEK RELATEDNESS—FEELING IMPORTANT TO OTHERS AND THAT OTHERS ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM