Stress Response
This produces a stress response which you need to deal with – but there’s nothing you can do except sit and stare at your phone.
If this seems hard to believe, try putting your phone away while the three dots are there on the screen. You may be surprised how hard you find it.
App designers understand a great deal about the way your brain works. For instance, most notifications will come up as a red circle on the icon.
You’ve been conditioned to associate red with urgency and importance and you’re more likely to stop what you’re doing and click a red notification than one that’s pastel blue.
Designers also know that when several areas of your brain are involved in an activity it’s more likely to be habit-forming.
This is why apps that auto-refresh will still tell you to tap or pull down to refresh.
Once you’re using not only the part of your brain that deals with the input from your eyes but also the area that controls your arm and finger muscles, you’re well on the way to forming a habit.
