What TikTok Does to Your Brain

If you find yourself scrolling to 4 in the morning, not being able to focus, and always distracted by your phone, Dr. K's guide to ADHD and Doing Stuff is perfect for YOU! Take back control over your attention and focus and pre-order today: bit.ly/3NGNS3u
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▼ Timestamps ▼
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00:23 - 1st Tiktok
00:43 - 2nd Tiktok
02:35 - How do we develop limits on tech?
03:20 - 3rd Tiktok
07:40 - Partial reinforcement
09:55 - Random reinforcement schedule
12:16 - 4th Tiktok
17:49 - Twitch's Pros/Cons
30:10 - 5th Tiktok
32:39 - Broader effect of tech/apps
37:36 - 6th Tiktok
45:00 - Tanking motivation
────────────
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Healthy Gamer is an online community and resource platform for gamers and their families. It does not provided medical services or professional counseling, and it is not a substitute for professional medical care. Our coaches are peer supporters, not professionally trained experts, and they cannot provide medical service. If you or a loved on are experiencing an emergency, please call your nation's emergency telephone number.
All guests of Healthy Gamer are informed of the public, non-medical nature of the content and have expressly agreed to share their story.

[@qchtohere8636]

Wow, TikTok is dangerous... Thank goodness I binge-watched like 7 one-hour-long videos warning this instead of sleeping.

[@CloudJL]

Grand example of a strawman kids 😂

[@bloothechronosapien4288]

Being able to watch 1 hour videos show that your attention span isn't so bad

[@CloudJL]

@@bloothechronosapien4288 E x a c t l y

[@christophercho2496]

honestly much better

[@qchtohere8636]

For the sake of completion, I must note that I have watched a lot of TikTok videos after knowing almost nothing of its existence since I made this comment.... Most of them on KZbin, tho.

[@davetwo7]

If you’ve ever used TikTok you definitely know that feeling when you finally pull yourself away from the screen after mindlessly scrolling for hours.

[@sunsundks3891]

No I get interested in too many things then am not interested anymore so algorithm is fucked and boring go me So I don't stay long unless I like a creator And it's content I like Even then I don't stay indefinitely doing nothing :D

[@sunsundks3891]

But with KZbin It's hell And I am addicted

[@cwcpants140]

I post my music to tik tok and REFUSE to scroll because i know its just dopamine rush after dopamine rush.

[@alimatt9685]

@@sunsundks3891 nobody asked or cared

[@dominiksukic8817]

@@alimatt9685 i care

[@TumblinWeeds]

It frightens me how everyone I know who “hated” tiktok and tried it out to make fun of it ended up addicted. Their opinion changed in a week “you know it’s mostly really good, informative content”. Except they haven’t slept in 3 days watching it

[@rtyzxc]

15 seconds "informative". It gives you a feeling of learning, but think more carefully if what you've learned is practically useful, or if you were asked to write an essay about a subject, what kind of detail do you actually learn? Based on tiktok life hack tests I've seen, the stuff you learn from tiktok is extremely flimsy.

[@jin394]

I had to delete the app after I used it way too much... but now instagram has the reels too but I use instagram to keep up w friends, so I'm probably going to have to make a hard call, maybe at least delete it off the phone and only use the desktop app that I at least can't access all the time nor is it as user friendly.

[@werrkowalski2985]

It's literally fucking meme sites but more addictive.

[@cornloin9732]

@@djancak i had the same opinion at one point but the skill gap takes more than 1 month. it probably takes 2 years to get passed it but you shouldnt because its a trap and an inconvenience

[@existentialcrisis8321]

I really actually tried to get into it due to feeling fomo, but I just couldn't. My friends all use it and want to share things on tikitok with me but it's just a constant stream of nonsense.

[@train_cam]

TikTok really is as frighteningly addictive as you can imagine. Abstaining in the first place is the only valid solution for me.

[@padarousou]

That goes for anything that is extremely addictive. I’ve heard from a lot of hardcore drug addicts that the main reason they became addicted is that they could never forget the experience they had and no matter what they did in life, nothing could compare. If you abstain then you will never even have the desire

[@l4kr]

@@djancak Be glad it's that way. I nowadays force myself into gaming but can't stand it for more that 1-2 hours. Welp, guess I'll be productive.

[@train_cam]

@@djancak if you spend enough time you are likely to eventually stumble onto some videos you find entertaining or informative. This is likely to be the point where you first get hooked, especially if you have adhd already. For me those were often videos about science, and ironically about adhd... then you get bombarded with asinine clips of dancing and dumb pranks, hunting for that next informtaive or actually funny clip.

[@JLchevz]

I've never downloaded it, thank fuck

[@KbIPbIL0]

I am so glad I didnt get addicted to it, no content there is interesting for me which is a good thing I think xD

[@KK-ef1ow]

Havent even watched the video yet but this was my experience: Downloaded tiktok. Spent 80% of my awake time on it. Deleted it after a week. It was WAY too addicting.

[@isthatbraised]

Its definitely the way it presents the content. Noticed it immediately when I downloaded it couple years ago. Thankfully i stuck to youtube

[@isaiah7588]

same experience it’s scary that they’ve made an app that’s too good I need to delete it

[@tdgchan]

​@@isthatbraised Yeah, and now youtube has shorts and instagram has reels... I hope someday it becomes an opt-in feature, it would be kinda better that way even if less profitable (or at least an opt-out feature so people who want to can block shorts for themselves) And to add to OP, i found out i had to leave tik tok once i was awake for a whole night (I'm talking 22:00 until 7:30 because i had to go back to school) even tho as i said i was going to school next day, nothing like that ever happened to me and so now its very funny to see my friends say "no, that's just you that has that problem, other people can still watch tik tok" just as they get a whole workday worth of numb and mindless tik tok scroll...

[@isthatbraised]

@@tdgchan Jesus christ, that's like 9-10 hours, that's definitely unhealthy. Good thing for me I knew what was affecting me badly, like physically, cant say the same for other people though. At first I thought that how twitter or youtube recommends you stuff was bad(it wasnt really that bad but I used to think it was. But damn man, tiktok is on another level of bad. I'd have to actually agree with the boomers if tiktok is this bad

[@river_brook]

@@tdgchan Unfortunately, I think "less profitable" is the main sticking point with that proposal

[@visvini]

My problem with TikTok is not my usage but others people usage. When you are in a conversation with a group of friends or anybody, if at some point the conversation cools off they pop up their phone, open TikTok and watch whatever 15s video comes first and lose total interest on the outside world (even if the video its not funny or anything, it's just about the habit of opening the app). It's very depressing on how low the attention spam of the gen z is becoming in these last few years and how this may affect them in the long run.

[@elenal1906]

I know it was probably a typo but "attention spam" is so fitting

[@morbius768]

or when people use a tiktok they saw as a conversation topic

[@Some.username.idk.0]

Or when others watch tiktoks at full volume in public

[@Chizypuff]

@@morbius768 Sharing something funny or interesting you found with a friend has nothing to do with this topic imo, just as long as people just show the video instead of describing it. I never want to hear a video described out loud.

[@56658]

i just deleted all those apps. i just want to be present in the moment.

[@milkbread5036]

in my experience, i noticed my attention span has decreased so much that i can't watch movies anymore. Movies BORE me. I'm like "I can't sit and watch for 2 hours..." but i can watch 3 hours of memes...

[@MKULTRA_Victim_]

You have to try and read books to get your attention span back. Or long podcasts while taking a walk. This has worked for me.

[@milkbread5036]

@@MKULTRA_Victim_ thank you :) i'll try it out!

[@RedScareClair]

Depending on your age, you might just find movies boring now. I'm in my late 30s and nearly every movie in the last 10-15 years has been done already. 25 fast and furious movies, Disney doing live action movies of their old animated movies, CONSTANT superhero movies... You have to make an effort to give less advertised movies a chance these days rather than going to ones that have a lot of hype. It's very hard to sit through 2 hours of a movie when you already know how it ends. Unless you're like my husband and ask the entire plot of the movie in the first 5 minutes 🤣

[@l.s.11]

In the past 3 years, I only watched about 4 movies in total. And at one point in my life, I used to watch one or even two A DAY (I wanted to go to film school). Then, I started watching KZbin - mostly videos about films and videography and photography. Which led to: whenever I had some spare time, I didn't want to "invest" it in a movie. Ironically, I would end up spending 3+ hours watching KZbin videos. Recently I got back to watching movies and even series and have been really enjoying it. But I also set up a really cozy "home cinema" that I enjoy using, so there's that. ;P

[@ciaraskeleton]

Absolutely, it gets your brain into a habit of seeking short form instant hits of dopamine. It happens to all of us, and what you can do is start to basically forcing yourself to gear towards long form content. I ban myself from tiktoks and deliberately watch movies, read books, or watch long KZbin videos that require me to sit and listen. After a few days of that your brain adapts back to enjoying slow release long-term rewards. Im Autistic so I fixate on things anyway, and I get stuck in less than healthy routines that I then find it verrrrry hard to get out of. So I understand the very real impact it has on our brains. Anyone's brain!! Esp people who are ND or have mental health issues, which Is a lot of people on tiktok

[@unaverse6965]

I did delete TikTok about three months ago- it just really didn‘t do me good. I always wondered why I wasn’t as creative as others and since I really like art I saw way too many art videos and wanted to learn everything- which kind of burnt me out. And whenever I felt bored I used to go on the app. To sumn things up: deleting TikTok was a very good decision for me and it‘s made me happier :)

[@annamichacz1534]

Yeah it bringing me down when I see how nice drawings people do. I am really trying and it is not as good as people artworks. I wonder if my character designs are good or creative😅

[@CenoriaWoah]

@@Junevalentino29 rizztraining order

[@lanakat]

it brought me down this is gonna sound dumb but my fyp was all filled with sad videos and kind of i guess romanticizing depression which made it worse for me and made me think it’s okay to be sad and i in a way wanted to get worse?? wtf anyway it led to one of the worst points of my life

[@Shotzno]

Don’t say that you’re gonna make me delete KZbin… wait why are you on KZbin lmao

[@briiiza2678]

​@@Shotznoits dumb to compare tiktok to KZbin, Ur logic is invalid

[@Reinturtle]

Awareness is absolutely a huge part of the solution. After learning about clickbait and similar thing (through experience and research) you can just call out "You're just trying to make me do X", which is often enough to reconsider whether you actually want to do it.

[@dilaisy_loone2846]

I deleted TikTok 8 months ago after 2 years of constant use, I was really anxious the first couple of months, and downloaded it again to see what was new. Nothing has changed, and there’s are too many obnoxious people

[@glamglam8347]

The fact that you thought it would change 🤔🤔🤔

[@studyinginthedesert7690]

Yes! When you step away you see what a waste of time it is on a basic, obvious level. Unfortunately that obviousness immediately starts falling away the longer you stick around, even if you're only looking to tell yourself how useless it is. Just by exposure, ironic or oppositional even as it may be, you quickly, sadly become less able to will yourself into to staying away from your addiction.

[@abbyz13]

@@glamglam8347 I mean, I did the same thing with youtube and I would say it’s worked. My intention changed. Now I prefer a balance that’s more education-heavy so I don’t get recommended pop culture crap. Social media can get better depending on usage, but I would argue tiktok specifically sets people up to fail.

[@Daniel-cj3jn]

@@abbyz13 Deleted Tiktok here, and when it comes to KZbin and Instagram, Iv tried following more stuff thats more educational for me. For example, Im interested in doing illustration-work or concept art later in life, so i started following more art channels. Which im intrested in and i can also learn something from it,

[@dilaisy_loone2846]

@@glamglam8347 yeah, I got a lot of information through TikTok and I have this irrational fear that I would miss out on something, but I didn’t, so I stoped wasting my time with it

[@Hetalia973]

Honestly even as watching this I keep scrolling through the comments, recommended videos, and opening and closing several different apps. I can’t seem to focus on anything and its difficult… a part of me allows myself to do it because I feel burnt out from responsibilities, but I often feel like I’ve wasted time and there is a huge chunk of my day and weeks and months where I cant remember anything i’ve done because of doom scrolling. I think I just gotta get back to watching Dr. K videos and forcing myself to focus on things and resist temptations to scroll and check.. its a struggle. On one hand the Internet with all its recommended videos and suggestions seems to try and help you with a million different tips but at the end of the day i’d probably be better off just going to bed.

[@JeyeNooks]

me too, he mentioned Reddit and I was gone for 20 mins 😂

[@CP-gk4ri]

Or listen to videos while doing something else! Coloring, cooking, anything is good

[@wheatley1866]

I love the last sentence

[@mau345]

Never used tiktok but reminds me of 9gag. It was the tiktok of millennials along reddit. 9gag always made me laugh but yeah that constant scrolling and that anticipation of a new funny meme up until 2am in the morning, checking every few minutes. When i think about it, that was a time i also had serious depressive swings and was just always tired and deep down sad despite being in my late teens to early twenties which was confusing to me because ive always considered myself strong and durable ever since and ive never been depressed during serious multiple episodes of poverty. Sure sad, but not “numb”. But that time since we were so poor, no internet or any forms of entertainment, i only played table tennis, listened to radio programs, prayed every night, and practiced drawing all day long with a long term goal to be skilled artist. And like boom , these things are actually real virtual drugs

[@user-hv5rv5ox2x]

Very relatable comment. Awareness is the first step to improvement.

[@ainsley5843]

honestly one of the things tiktok has done to me is realizing just how delusional some people are when it comes to the most basic of concepts

[@anonymousa7928]

Can u explain what u mean more?

[@ducktv8729]

Yeah Twitter does the same

[@anonymousa7928]

@@ducktv8729 as an ex twitter user, i agree

[@grantpeterson2524]

Holy shit, I just realized that "random reinforcement" is probably the reason I keep putting energy into people who only sporadically respond/invest into me. I.e. reaching out to people who sometimes respond to me and sometimes don't. It's easy for me to move on from people who give me nothing, and unfortunately, I don't give people who are there for me consistently as much attention as they deserve.

[@darkcyberia666]

same dude... I've been falling in love for people with avoidant attachment (hot-cold dynamic) for years...

[@VaskoGames]

As someone who stayed in an abusive relationship for waaaaaay too long, this video definitely resonated with me. And every time my friends tried to egg me on to leave, I just didn't take their advice and tried to stick it out "in the name of love" and hope things they get better... they just got worse and worse. Thankfully I eventually had enough dignity to say enough is enough and walk away.

[@AltruisticWarrior]

I think it's acceptable to stick it out IF both couples are willful participants in making changes AND being mindful and receptive to their own negative contributions. Obviously this is where individual and couples therapy comes into play at times. The biggest problem I see these days is people being bad actors and being surrounded by folks that only see one side of things and of course only shore up unknowingly bad behavior. I saw this eventually with my wife and I. People on her side wrote me off as terrible and vice versa. We both had to close off what we shared with others and talk to each other more. Going on 16 years now and things are better than ever. Had we listened to those around us, we ultimately would've failed like so many. We may have found something better but probably not. Instead we would've taken our unresolved issues into the next and so on. Sometimes one person is the bad guy but so often we're all a little toxic and fail to recognize that through our personal echochambers. Glad to see things have worked out well for you though. It seems so rare that it does anymore. 😢

[@SeiichirouUta]

I'm in my 40s. The question "How long does the good feeling of getting an A (1 in other countries) last?" might have a surprising answer to some of the younger ones out there: The more work you had put into it or the more of a surprise it was, the longer the feeling will last. Sometimes even a lifetime. My granny had told me more than once about her final exams, which she had taken more than 70 years ago. :)

[@georgthesecond]

I still remember feeling good about getting a 5 (the best grade in my country) for a certain work in literature subject some 10 years ago. Literature was tough for me (often being between 3 and 4 at the end of the semester) and our teacher was very strict (yet fair).

[@flowerpt]

Yup. I remember getting an A-citation in an Ivy League CS class 30 years ago and not one Wing Commander game I played that year.

[@SpookiDoki]

I remember getting 15/15 in my final math exams 11 years ago and a 10/10 in skipping rope even longer ago 😂 this is true!

[@lm9045]

Wow, the timing is impeccable. I was just feeling so drained from using TikTok daily for over 5 hours... sometimes even 10 hours...

[@simonrockstream]

wtf

[@c0kandball]

You need to delete the app for your own sake.

[@mryeetproductions]

Jesus Christ

[@Vallkayrie]

Dont you like .. go to school or work?

[@Grimdawn95]

I hope you get better

[@Aulig]

This is exactly what sponsorships should be. Thanks so much for everything you and your team do for us Dr. K.

[@Sh0n0]

Your welcime aulig

[@user-s3ts8my2x]

@@Sh0n0 thx for your reply you have to live it

[@zinka777]

"So Dark Souls fans are abuse victims?" Every Fromsoft player anywhere felt this in their soul. 😂

[@SoulgainTM]

I instantly started looking for potential abuses within my lifetime 🤔

[@goobus_floobus]

in their souls*

[@MissPopuri]

Soulsbourne games have an underlying philosophy with being “enkindled” like in Bloodborne. To be enkindled means to be set on fire, it describes a burning and yearning in our souls. We have to get in touch with that nature in us which makes us burn with longing and can satisfy without reducing our bodies to ash like so many who burn with unrestricted passions. Christianity teaches this to varying degrees across all denominations, but it is best found in the deeper theology procured by the Catholic Church because it has a catechism which explains what is expected of you and how you can improve if you fail to receive peace or joy in your pursuit of happiness.

[@dumbitc11]

i'm in my 20s and i've never used tik tok or had the desire too. it's always seemed more for kids and teens.

[@isthatbraised]

Yeah, we the youtube kids(and overall just presents better content imo)

[@visvini]

i'm 26 and doesnt have any desire to use it, only downloaded because my girlfriend sends me a few ones but i never open the app on my free time, it just doesnt get to me... don't know why.

[@preston2472]

bro has a masters degree in maturity ig 🤷‍♂️

[@dumbitc11]

@@preston2472 i didn't say anything about being immature if you use tik tok lol. i'm just pointing out that it's predominantly an app for kids therefore it negatively impacts them the most.

[@anotherks7297]

If you use KZbin shorts it's probably the same thing

[@ProcuraRt]

Partial reinforcement! I liked when you applied it not only to tik tok but relationships as well

[@aaad3552]

And game as well

[@drebengolem]

I am currently writing an essay on Electronic Addiction amongst teens and your video helped me put my thoughts into place

[@pierreaoun9600]

Yo, I’d be interested to read this when you’ve completed it. Link?

[@gabbie25]

it's funny that, i'd assume, some people who didn't watch this, wouldn't watch this mostly because of short attention span, this is 50 minutes long (and you know, they understandably prefer short videos)

[@Krawna]

Dr K's videos are a rare phenomenon for me. Generally, I refuse clicking on videos over 5-15mins even if they are of my hobby/interest But with his videos I don't even worry about the length. Just if the topic seems relevant or interesting in terms of self-growth. I hope the reason is all healthy and not some dysfunctional need being fulfilled

[@TumblinWeeds]

Yeah I’d assume the people who most need this are bored away in the first 2 minutes (not that Dr K is boring, they just have a super short attention span)

[@ailynnmckae1130]

I watch it on 2x speed lol

[@kailomonkey]

Regarding damage parasocial relationships can do, you mentioned favouring those over real relationships. What about engaging in parasocial relationships 99% of the time damaging the way you social IRL. Like you begin to expect a distance, you expect attention/reward to be randomised, you expect to have no power to make closer connections.

[@valeriabarquero1472]

I definitely think this ruined my last relationship. I engage and socialize way better through text/videos than in person. I'm totally different. I was a damn iPad kid, who also has always had trouble socializing (undiagnosed but finding out if there's some neurodivergence). So texting made it SO EASY. I could do so many things I couldn't in real life. It became an addiction. I worry that if I don't do something now, I will always be a better internet bot than actual person. I worry for the kids who are not aware of this, and are going through an even more premature experience of internet relationships. I know I won't allow internet friends to my kids, or social media at all until they're like 12 (also, I would explain to them through my experience how much it damaged me. It's easier. But that comes with a big prize. Maybe that's why Zuck is working on Meta. That's the only way kids will socialize lol... /jk but it does worry me). Only physical friends, through clubs or whatever. I know it brought a lot of benefit socially for me in the moment. But it is still very isolating. I was socializing with numbers! Talking to physical people is almost impossible to me! I rarely enjoy it and loosen up as much as I do on the internet.

[@TREBLECLEF421]

Sorry, what does IRL mean? (Non-native English speaker)

[@kailomonkey]

@@TREBLECLEF421 In Real Life - ie outside of internet, physically.

[@TREBLECLEF421]

@@kailomonkey thanks!

[@ciaraskeleton]

I'm Autistic so I can't lie it really hasn't helped me socialise better, I constantly need to learn social skills and bc I've been online for so long, I've been learning the weird online way of socialising so my skills are at an all time low. I have been listening to other autistic people who've been through the same thing and now I'm pushing myself little by little to practice and re learn my irl social skills. I don't think I'll ever be 'good' at it or that I'll ever turn into some social butterfly but I want to try to improve my life and the lives of those around me yknow? Even if it is hard and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, ever 😂

[@vockski3173]

This episode is gonna be THE BIG ONE!

[@jin394]

I've never personally understood the appeal of video games the few times I've played, and this reminded me how last week a friend and I went on a nice hike, bit off the beaten path and at one point we were like "this feels like a video game" and "why would you play video games when you could actually go out and do things like this." But in reality, I think a lot of people would like to do the irl things but other things hold them back. Like the anxiety, or not knowing who to go with. I certainly have my problems with social media too, but I am glad I have outdoor and gym adventure hobbies too and nothing I've found online will beat those, I'll get restless if I don't do something active.

[@josh8106]

48:45 when he brought up numbness and how it relates to control that connection absolutely blew my mind

[@zak4683]

Dr K is my hit of dopamine

[@notaburneraccount]

Yes

[@SashaFesti]

I don’t use tiktok anymore and I LOVE some validation

[@Balloonbot]

tasty tasty validation

[@hollyrowlands6943]

I have actively chosen to never download TikTok because I know I'll get addicted to it. I'm bad enough with other technology and TikTok is notoriously addictive.

[@NoName12344o]

Yep same. But it kinda annoys me that KZbin has also this "shorts" option.

[@Matt-gw6nc]

Genuinely a fantastic video, it felt like so much was covered but in such an easy to digest way. Such a blessing that any jargon was also explained. This is peak mental health help KZbin. Thanks Dr. K!

[@GraveRave]

Dr is telling the truth. Especially when he mentioned playing video games to forget your troubles. I work a job I hate, and every day it's either games or KZbin that I use to forget my misery.

[@elipajo]

It’s kind of like smoking. You hear everyone talking about it, your friends push you to use it and when you finally do it can be difficult to stop

[@latteARCH]

The conclusion that I'm getting is that social media (and other forms of media like games) can thrive by taking advantage of the way our brain gets rewarded. We need to be healthy about our consumption and understand how it affects us.

[@demigod8522]

40:25 god fucking dammit, that's me my entire adult life. Video game addiction soothes my depression so I just find real life so bland that I can't find any new hobbies or relations to replace with my gaming time because nothing offers the same dopamine injection that video games does. I personally consider myself a failure in life because I keep coming back to my addiction and can't motivate myself to grind IRL.

[@AzarakiDragon]

Around 44:50 I think makes an interesting point about the permanency of the education system, and I think I've got a bit of a problem with that. Part of the reason it's hard to "go next" after a B or especially something like a D when it comes to a semester is that you know that no matter how well you do at the next semester, the system will never forget about that D. The best you can do is bring up your average. And that's not exactly comparable to DotA; yes losing a game will bring down your average, but nobody cares about your lifetime average. They only care about your MMR, and you can erase the negative effects of a loss by getting a win, they cancel each other out. And interestingly, if you improve at the game overall, you get this feeling of "It doesn't matter that I was a scrub before, I'm Immortal rank now". Improvement takes precedence over lifetime average I think it's a failing of the system in education that it works the opposite way. I struggled with proper motivation and work ethic for my Freshman and Sophomore years, and tended to get mostly C's, and then I got into a better headspace for my last two years and finished off with A's and B's. Fast forward to when I was applying to jobs and every automated resume-checker I had to go through showed my GPA as... 2.7, lower than the auto-reject threshold for a lot of those jobs. I could have been the absolute best student in the entire university for my senior year and still wouldn't have passed that threshold. I think that's a wild failing of the system, it's demotivating, it makes it harder for people to say "go next" and try hard for the next semester, and of course, it disproportionately effects people who have struggled with mental health issues, or certain socioeconomic classes

[@mizar3534]

Amazing point!

[@HeldigHenrik]

This is absolutely spot on!

[@Account.for.Comment]

There is an attitude amongst the working-class, is that education is massively overrated. As a lifelong learner, I could say that education is the most comfortable path to take, you sit, listen and provide your teacher or school system with what they want. The hardest part is juggling those parts with your life. The permanency of it, depends on your field or career. The majority of the reason why anyone went to college is not for the knowledge or skills but for a piece of paper. The problems with the resume-checker is not your grades, I can guaranteed you that only you and few care about the grades. They don't care about you or any applicant, what you know, or what the jobs even need.They rejects well-qualified candidates to lower the number of applicants they have to go through. Coding tests are prime examples, companies used them for candidates, nobody is dumb enough to use them in the jobs. My father, a doctor said that he learned more from treating poor people in badly-supplied hospitals, than the highly-rated French university he went to. The resume is only there to get you the interview. Education is important, but would have helped a lot with credentials and others, but it is not the end of the world as students or tiger parents seem to think so. You learn when you get older.

[@AzarakiDragon]

@@Account.for.Comment Oh don't worry, I am older now, I've gone through the whole process, and I'm quite comfortable with my career right now. I've personally talked to current colleagues who've told me that their former employers used an automated system to filter out any applicant who did not meet a specific GPA requirement or years of work experience. We're talking applications thrown out before the cover letter is even read. I'm not sure if you've applied for an entry-level job in the past 5 years. Even after you upload your hand-crafted resume and cover-letter to their system, you are forced to fill out fields with all of the hard numbers that will go through their automatic resume-checker, fields including years of past work experience and GPA. Obviously this isn't true for every employer, evidenced to me by the fact that I got a job with a company that was very interested in me after actually reading my cover letter (a couple others had too, where I lost out at the end as one of the top 3-4 applicants). However to ignore these auto-resume-checker experiences is either setting up for selection bias or straight-up denial

[@Account.for.Comment]

@@AzarakiDragon I reccommend Joshua Fluke channel and the Company Expert channel for anyone that got anxiety from writing resume. Entry-level position that required ten years of experience are common. Even twenty year ago, my teacher had to deal with job openings that listed the requirements of having at least three years of experience in a technology that just come out for three months. If you experienced in something for one day, you can put it as a year. Your recruiters are not being honest and so you should not be either. Most of HR are not looking for honest interviews and candidates. They want complaince actors. It is a broken system and that is how many people lost trust in credentials, expertise and education overalls.

[@jjtoolie9045]

I've deleted tiktok for almost two weeks now, I barely remember 10% of the content on there but I also find other platforms less entertaining now. Not even that, I use Instagram reels and KZbin shorts to sort of replace what tiktok did. Insta and KZbin can't replicate what tiktok used to do for me, but I've noticed im using those platforms to cope

[@MKULTRA_Victim_]

Insta reels and KZbin shorts are great in the fact that they are much easier to control. I usually will click on a couple of KZbin shorts every time I open the KZbin app. I’d say max 5-10 a day. This number would be much higher if I was on actual TikTok I’m sure.

[@Surokkh]

Pff, I would never become subject to my brain's thirst for dopamine. Now if you'll excuse me, the boys and I have a scheduled 8-hour raid session in Guild Wars 2

[@Sentinel_White]

How did it go?

[@Surokkh]

@@Sentinel_White Man it was gosh darn amazing let me tell ya♥️

[@Sentinel_White]

@@Surokkh Good!

[@yantxgsstory]

38:00 I find this to be true because I feel like I depend on technology for my main happiness and lack purpose/motivation to participate in real-life activities (that take much more *effort*). I've become afraid of being uncomfortable and failing in many aspects of my life, and I don't even try at a lot of the things that 'matter' to me anymore.

[@stendaalcartography3436]

Tiktok, YT shorts, Instagram, FB all has the same trap. IT'S A TRAP!

[@RedScareClair]

Can we just talk about how Dr. K is an analogy king?

[@maggieharper3575]

consistently high quality content from you, dr k! thank you!

[@gabztried]

i was one of the lucky people who somehow got bored of tiktok and eventually forgot about it.. didnt use it for about 6 months before finally deciding to delete it since i dont use it anyways before that, i think i used it for 2 years? and during the time i used it i noticed myself becoming really agitated, while normally i am a very calm and patient person.. even now, i still become a lot more agitated than i used to i downloaded it back then because all my friends were using it and i didnt want to be left out (FOMO), but honestly, i wish i had just stayed away from it in the first place

[@cotik5791]

we should hire game designers to use the tricks to make studying more addictive xd

[@abdominalsnowmansamak9950]

Lol game designers for school board members! I could see lootboxes for straight As or improvement working wonders.

[@abdominalsnowmansamak9950]

Dr. K even mentions rng as behaviorally reinforcing

[@danielabay8872]

The worst part about this is that all of my friends and everyone became a "victim" of tiktok. And I'm faced with a choice to either download it or lose the connection with them. Well i did not give in and i'm on my way to find better friends who are off tiktok and spend more time in groups and outside

[@mau345]

You can but just use it cautiously… older people think we’re so evolved for tiktok but several platforms of our generations are actually analogous to tiktok from facebook, 9gag, youtube, twitter, reddit, multiplayer gaming and even smoking. The pressure is understandable but i think your difference is that youre self aware, thats a good start, like a responsible drinker. I had friends , all of who smoked. I used to go along their joints but i never smoked just secondarily haha. I never did because i knew my family has a prevalent history of addiction. They never discriminated against me, we remained to enjoy each others company. If your friends make you feel bad for not being as indulgent as them, recalibrate your friendship a bit.

[@ianlowe4247]

What types of friends do you have that don’t go out together cause of an app? I have a couple friends that never had it and we all go out

[@theimmoralcookie6344]

I noticed when I used TikTok ONCE my quality of life went down so drastically. I stopped using TikTok and I physically felt 200% better and wasn't just plopped in my bed for hours at a time.

[@florenceg8058]

Thank you very much for this video ! You're a great teacher, you're very talented to share knowledge. I'm a psychologist and I thought your comparisons were amazing, I'm totally gonna use them in my work. I loved earring your thoughts on this topic and just like you, I think we should help people to be more aware. Have a great day and greetings from France (and sorry if my english isn't perfect ^^)

[@andeggbreaks]

Social media is a psychological nightmare I suggest everyone block the sites or start utilising app timers (android, idk about apple). I cut my social media time down to 40 mins max this way

[@ianlowe4247]

@@rainbowwaves5531 3 weeks late but exercise, cook, go to the gym and listen to music (I’m trying to cut them out too€

[@username_creates6991]

Im a designer and I quit social media. Well actually I made social media difficult to access and that helped me a lot. Cus I learnt how to make apps more addictive in one of my courses, you can easily google design tips etc and you can get the same info. The less steps people have to take to use the platform, the more addictive they are. Short form content has pushed it too far. But emojis, the way text is positioned, how accessible everything is, the less steps something has, the reward system the apps have, how quick it is… its what makes platforms more interesting and makes people not quit your app. So yeah when I saw how bad short form was for my mental health, productivity, physical activity etc I decided to delete the apps from my phone and ipad and if I need to access social media Im going to do it on my laptop cus the design is bad and the accessibility is not great. The design of the laptop in general is not easy to use in comparison with a smart phone. And this regulates me better. Im also not going for any ios phone cus they’re designs are more addictive cus their design is very good.

[@bibinoojen]

Absolutely love Dr. K's channel and wisdom. A lot of the topics and discussions resonate with me but also am highly amused whenever he goes into video game references and I'm totally clueless lol.

[@zainababdulrashid3313]

Right when I needed it!

[@discorabbit]

Nah getting an A in a really hard class, especially if you got the top grade, beats winning a regular game. Feeling lasts forever.

[@Dimitris__09]

What a closer, great conclusion

[@sophdog2564]

I ended up deleting tiktok almost a year ago because I started consistently getting negative experiences out of it. I also deleted Facebook recently because it got an update that changed the format and I hated it. I do still sometimes get sucked in to KZbin shorts because everything is tiktok now, but I find that I usually get content that I genuinely enjoy, rather than the chaos of tiktok.

[@julielevesque2668]

Thank you for your content. Good point about exercise and how we stress our body but it's a good thing. Same thing goes for doing exercise while cortisol is highest which is in the morning...hijacking the epinephrine and the adrenaline but yet that is the best way to overcome stress which then gives you the endorphins and seretonin increase. I cope with anxiety daily but because I do morning exercise while my cortisol is highest...I feel better for the rest of the day. When I'm stressed at work...my new reflex is not to think about what's wrong but hurry up and go down the stairs from my 7th floor office to the bottom and then I walk back up the stairs. If at the top I still feel stressed a bit...go back down and repeat going up. Much better solution to coping with anxiety then ruminating.

[@freeloading_toad]

Dr. K: “Our body is a whole organism.” Me: :o

[@POINDXTRMUSIC]

Thank you for this

[@traywor1615]

Randomness reinforcing behaviour stronger than the consistent approach makes much sense: If it is possible to get a streak, then maybe, maybe there is a system that can be exploited.

[@NiceOrbit]

Possibly the best video you have made!

[@FaalKoriim]

I deleted TikTok because of the sheer stress at everything I was being shown. It was one bad thing after another after another, after another, cat! Another bad video... and so on. I felt better just shy of a week. And I've only been getting better. I don't really get on any social media except like once or twice a month. The mental improvement has been a serious boost to my outlook on life.

[@Matty002]

getting off tiktok is healthier than drinking more water

[@clem7057]

I'm not even on TikTok, KZbin is my poison

[@ziadjabir3172]

You keep calling me out with these videos and I’m here for it lol

[@monkeydluffy6446]

Because I struggled with ADHD, and have very poor time awareness. The app that I've been using for the past few years that's super helpful in keeping me in check. Is Focus me, you can download it both on your computer and phone and set time limits for certain apps, etc. Before TikTok blew up, I used to have an issue with watching hour-long youtube videos for the entire day. So I would set a time limit on my computer and phone to keep me in check. I set a 4 hr and 30 min limit per day for TikTok. When that time is over, it closes the app automatically while I'm using or whenever I try to open it. Since that time limit restarts at midnight and I have the tendency to be stuck to my phone late at night. I set the app to close the app at 1:30 AM and it's not usable until 7 AM. Plus I also appreciate that it tracks how long you use apps or visit websites daily, weekly, etc. So I can be more aware of how long I've spent using something and where I might need to cut back and set limits to it. It helps me from spending my whole day online and helps me be more personally productive irl. I actually just came from scrolling on tiktok since 10 PM. But my the app was forcibly closed at 1:30. So I'm about to head off to bed rn 😄✌🏾

[@ivan3551]

4 hr and 30 min for tiktok alone? Bruuuuh

[@monkeydluffy6446]

@@ivan3551 lol that's because I have things to do during the day. But when I'm taking a break or bored, I'll peruse the app for 15-30 minutes. To sustain work-life balance I stop doing all work around 9-10 PM, and the time after that is my free time for anything. With the time added throughout the day, and the time that I may or may not spend on the app at night, 4 hours is actually pretty reasonable for me. Plus you do have to realize that I generally don't actually use the app often. I normally never reach the full 4 hours+ a day. I put those limits in place as a safeguard, so I don't accidentally lose an entire day off, night, or break glued to the app. From my activity analytics (only from my phone): from 6/5/22 - 6/13/22, I've only spent 5 hrs, 22 minutes, and 31 seconds on the app. I've launched/opened it 36 times. Since 5/1/22 to today, I've only spent 7:22:05 on the app, and launched it 59 times. To put my time usage more in perspective, since the start of the year to today, I've spent 12:49:07, and launched TikTok 114 times. So the time I spend on the TikTok is really minimal in the grand scheme of things. That time is nothing compared to the amount of time I've spent on reading, sudoku, or Spotify. Since the start of the year, I've played sudoku for a total of 1 day & 19:21:07, with a launch of 252 times. While Spotify is at 4 days & 7:12:21, launched 867 times. Though the thing that has taken up most of my phone time since the start of this year is reading web novels, which my current time clocks in at 2 weeks, 1 day, & 6:58:00 😅😂😂

[@modernberzerker92]

What does Tiktok do to your brain? Nearly rotted mine. Quit using it within minutes. TL;DR - There were a bunch of things I saw on Tiktok that made me question so many peoples' choices on making videos, how some content that would be considered really disturbing is still on that site, and it made me question my reality. Odd way of saying it, but it left me with a "drunken" after effect and I couldn't think straight. Idk. I would say that maybe I accidentally ran into the wrong part of Tiktok, but this was my experience after seeing the gaming/"anime" section.

[@fallencyano9015]

what ive learnt in this one so far (not done yet) and a previous one i watched: - go after activities that give you serotonin, or physically engages you (or just at least physical goals irl) [prev video] - if i ever feel like using my online friends as a therapist, or as a vent, go do something else emotionally numbing, but stay away from social media + online friends. go read a book, or play console videogames (no switch), or do some art, or journaling/writing, hell even clean or go be with a cat. i know thats not what youre saying but its better than nothing, ive lost a real good friend partially by using them as a therapist - set limits, dont overindulge. maybe set a hard time limit, or do it only on the weekends. rate each hour of doing something "fun" if you need to

[@ObjectingRevolver]

it eats away my time where I could be learning (for real) something new, socializing or actually playing the games I loved.

[@BobbiCodes]

I can't really consume just 1 media source at a time anymore or I feel understimulated. I'll sometimes watch 2 streamers at once because either one makes me feel that I'm missing out on the other.

[@heatherflynn]

I deleted TikTok like nearly two years ago now and I never look back 😂 it’s crack for the brain. No app is worth you loosing your whole life over. I’ll never ever get it back.

[@wk3759]

This content is gold

[@firstname2001]

At the end of the month, we should have another drunk stream the last one was such a fun stream

[@sarathipaul7909]

I totally agree with what you said but I got a question. Life is also like a video-game, it is not thoroughly happy. It denies us happiness a lot of times, but we don't keep on hustling like you said we should. Rather we get distracted or do whatever but don't work towards that particular goal we wanna achieve. So why does this happen? Why do some people give up on life/ commit suicide? If you are reading this, try to think and answer.

[@FuzeRG]

I literally wish I had time to watch all of your videos/streams they all seem interesting

[@vazzaroth]

I remmeber when I used to get paid weekly, I was so engaged. For a decade now I've been on 'every 2 week pay' and ever since I've noticed it's so much harder to stay engaged with work knowing my reward is 10-14 days away. I'm on day 13 right now and feel so burnt out. I'm broke and can't do anything after work. I never understand why this became standard. (Well ofc I do, it's corporate friendly. In fact, most ppl at my company are [illegally exploited] contractors paid once a month. I literally could not with ADHD.)

[@LaurenAusEngland]

(Dr K is good at putting on voices, lol.) This video was very helpful and informative for me and also incredibly entertaining. I feel enlightened about the basis of abusive relationships and/or addiction.

[@dark-lord-vinay]

Thanks, makes me become more aware of internet

[@MFeyBlizzard]

this video is mind opening

[@juice2]

omg, so checking tiktok and reddit posts is a lootbox mechanic

[@duckqueak]

yes basically you got it. quick dopamine hit.

[@fahimfazil9112]

This really hits home. I type this as im watching this video and playing Apex legends on my other monitor.

[@joshuastrickland5264]

this is really cool. I never made these connections.

[@Q269]

Social media is more predatory than casinos

[@busybusybusy]

I've thought of this weeks ago. Glad im not only the one thinking about this.

[@durandus676]

7:19 there’s a reason in the military a Mass Casualty event is 3 function impeding injuries. People would try to tough it out and risk even more and more if doctrine wasn’t so strict.

[@yuchant]

Installed tik tok once, scrolled for 5 hours, was shook, uninstalled. Deleted every app that has tiktok-style scroll feeds, which means everything. Too dangerous.

[@bunnyteeth365]

I definitely relate to all the tiktok sounds sort of getting stuck in my head after I use it for a while. Right now I try to only use tiktok when I know I'll be interrupted. I find it's easier to just not get on it than make myself get off of it. For now I just ban myself from using it before bed. I try to stick to podcasts and maybe reddit.

[@mm5467]

It's not just tiktok, I've been noticing this with KZbin and any other video platform or socialmedia.

[@eliassaavedra6857]

Bruh it's so addicting, I noticed it, when I felt like I needed to watch tiktoks with everything I did like cook or clean. I finally stopped the addiction, unistalling it wasn't enough, I had to set a screen timer n have my mom only know the pass code.

[@yothiga]

I’m not actively using TikToks but KZbin’s short do this to me. It’s such a lot of time and hard to stop

[@CheeseChud]

I got extremely bored of TikTok when I used it. I just don’t use it anymore. It’s annoying, and I can essentially find what I need everywhere else.

[@ourrandomvidz]

Same, I have it for my Twitch, but other than that it’s so boring and annoying.

[@kindnessloveandgrace]

In response to what he said about the difference between a large audience setting and a twitch streamer: I think another point to mention is your environment in the two settings is different which can affect your emotions and the intimacy you may feel between yourself and the speaker. In a large, live audience setting you're physically in a crowd of people, away from the comfort of your home or wherever you chill to watch streams, and are actively watching someone on a stage (an irl separation). Twitch streamers on the other hand can be watched at any time but also in your most comfortable and soothing environments. You are also alone and streamers are often chilling in their houses, making it instantly feel more intimate--as if you're with a friend hanging out rather than watching a stranger give a lecture.

[@alejrandom6592]

really nice to have theater mode in youtube to partially avoid distractions

[@iam1smiley1]

I find short term videos have effected my focus a while back and went to stuff not really shorter than 20 minutes without purpose and often education up to 3 hours or longer in the series.

[@TowelGard]

I recently got an app that limits how much time I can spend on TikTok and the first day I got super depressed. I think I was having a dopamine withdrawal.

[@ericayala2788]

What's the name of the app, if you don't mind me asking

[@Mach7tequila]

Tik tok reminds me of 2015 ifunny, the "just one more swipe" mentality is in full effect with both apps as we hope for funny posts

[@roxannesoucy7528]

The parallel to abusive relationships is spot on. Thank you for bringing that up.

[@octoberrrrrrr]

for a long time when i had tik tok, i refused to delete it even though i hated 99% of the content, because after scrolling for hours, i would manage to find one good funny video that i felt made it worth it. it was wayy too addicting

[@noxanneballadynasowacka6125]

Reading is also engaging in a way that other media aren't because it requires you to actively conjure up images by process of analyzing semantic information. You have to think about what you read, or else your eyes will just glance over letters. And because we tend to have an emotional response to words, the contents of a book stimulate us into thinking. Watching short videos, on the other hand, bombards you with information that play on your affect without forcing you to internalize on a deeper level.

[@TannisHenriksen]

That start stop of the video wigged me right out. Yelling stop! Stop!! 😂

[@hauskasiili]

I don't want to belittle anyone's experiences, but I only got on TikTok after knowing about many of the psychological tricks they use to drive up engagement and I've found that knowledge useful in keeping my use well in control. I use it about 20 minutes twice a week and find pretty fun, if silly, platform to use. I do find it kind of impressive how far they've gone in making it a reinforcement bonanza.

[@porky1118]

4:20 I know something similar. If I just like it, I don't get addicted. I'm happy after a few episodes or after finishing it. It also happens with food. When I eat flips with reduced calories, I kind of think it wasn't that good, and eat some more hoping the next will be better. When they are really delicious, I'm sometimes happy before they are all gone, and eating more would just reproduce some feeling which can't be improved anyway.

[@Mw2LP123213]

Great Video! Glad you do what you do