why your phone is making you sad

Hey there,

Your phone is making you sad.

Not just distracted. Not just unproductive.

Actually sad.

And the scary part? It's doing it in a way you probably don't even notice.

The Dopamine Problem

Here's what's happening in your brain.

Every time you get a notification, watch a TikTok, or see a like on Instagram, your brain releases dopamine. The same chemical that gets released when you eat good food or have sex.

Chocolate increases dopamine by 55%. Sex by 100%.

Your phone? Unlimited supply. All day. Every day.

And the more you use it, the stronger these dopamine pathways in your brain become.

But stronger doesn't mean better.

It means you need more stimulation to feel the same satisfaction you used to get from less.

Why Nothing Feels Exciting Anymore

Scientists did this experiment with rats.

They put rats in a boring cage. Then moved them to an exciting new environment with toys and different things to explore.

The rats' brains lit up. Dopamine everywhere.

But when they gave the rats dopamine hits BEFORE putting them in the exciting environment, their brains barely reacted to the new stuff.

The novel environment wasn't exciting anymore. Because they'd already gotten their dopamine fix.

That's what's happening to you.

You're getting constant dopamine from your phone. So when you go outside, hang out with friends, try something new, your brain doesn't light up the way it should.

Real life feels boring compared to the endless stimulation in your pocket.

Days blend together. Nothing feels special. You can't remember what you did last week because nothing stood out.

That's not depression. That's dopamine adaptation.

The Numbers

Young people who spend 7+ hours a day on screens are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety.

Teens who spend 5 hours daily on their phones are 71% more likely to develop suicide risk factors compared to those who use it for an hour.

Students who cut social media use to 30 minutes a day saw significant improvements in wellbeing.

This isn't correlation. This is causation.

It's Not Your Fault

Instagram doesn't show you all your likes at once.

They hold them back. So every time you open the app, there's a new notification waiting. A little dopamine hit. Just enough to keep you coming back.

TikTok's algorithm learns what makes you watch longer.

Then serves you more of it. Endless scroll. Endless dopamine.

You're not weak for being addicted.

You're fighting billion-dollar companies who hired psychologists specifically to make their apps more addictive.

Of course you can't put it down.

What This Means For You

If you've noticed that nothing excites you the way it used to.

That you're more anxious than you used to be. That you compare yourself to others more.

If you feel empty after scrolling for hours.

If you can't focus on anything for more than a few minutes. If you check your phone the second you're bored.

It's not you. It's your brain adapting to constant dopamine.

The good news? Your brain has neuroplasticity. It can change back.

The bad news? It takes time. Some studies say a month. Some say 3 months. Some say 2 years.

But it's possible.

What Actually Works

The research shows three things help.

Limit phone use to specific time windows. 1 hour per day for social media, for example. Not spread out. All at once.

This prevents the compulsive escalation that comes with unlimited access.

Log out of trigger apps and give your password to someone else. Turn your phone off at 9pm and put it in a drawer. Charge it somewhere annoying to reach. Make access harder.

Make your phone boring. Turn it grayscale. Only check social media on your computer. Delete apps you don't actually care about. Don't use it as your alarm.

These aren't perfect. But they work.

Here's The Thing

Studies show that the average person between 16 and 25 unlock their phone 96 times a day.

Right now, most of those unlocks are making you sadder. Pulling you deeper into the dopamine trap.

Making real life feel less exciting.

But what if those 96 moments could do the opposite?

What if instead of feeding the addiction, they interrupted it? Reminded you what actually matters. Helped you choose differently.

We built something for that.

Not another app that will take away your dopamine. Just constant reminders that won't let you forget you're alive and that you CAN actually do sh*t.

It launches this month.

If you're tired of your phone making you sad, join the waitlist. Over 1,700 people are already waiting.

Join the waitlist →

Just one life,
Richard
Founder, Elevenstoic

P.S. The science on this is still flooding in. But one thing is clear: your phone is changing your brain. The question is whether you're going to let it keep changing it for the worse, or take back control.