The internet’s allure is undeniable. Using only a cellphone, we can connect with almost anyone on the planet and access the entirety of human knowledge in an instant. Yet, in our relentless quest for information and connectivity, we’ve sacrificed something vital—our deep connection to the real world and its genuine pleasures.
As humans, we struggle with moderation—especially when it comes to things we enjoy. Entire industries are built based on this tendency, from social media to the food industry, a master of creating addictive foods to keep you coming back for more. Our consumption of these pleasurable activities even has a name—hedonic consumption.
Hedonic consumption may sound like the name of the latest Hollywood blockbuster. However, it is the subject of a recent study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, investigating why we overindulge—and the reason might surprise you.
The research looked at how distraction affects “hedonic consumption,” a term the researchers use to define excessive indulgence in pleasurable activities such as eating or playing video games.
Stephen Murphy is a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at Ghent University in Belgium and the study’s lead author. He describes the new study in a LinkedIn post, saying that he and his colleagues “aimed to understand whether overconsumption of pleasurable things and experiences is partly due to failing to ‘extract’ the hoped-for pleasure from hedonic consumption. For example, does not fully paying attention to a movie or meal lead to more consumption afterward (e.g., snacking, watching YouTube shorts) because distraction made those activities less enjoyable?”
The study’s authors theorize that one reason we overindulge is because we are distracted while engaging in activities that we find pleasurable. The research team found that when we are not fully focused while engaging in these activities, we are likely to enjoy them less, making us feel less satisfied. As a result, we seek out pleasurable things or activities later to fill the void.
The Study
The study was conducted in two parts, the first focused on distraction while eating and the second across a broad array of “consumption domains.”
Study 1
To test their hypothesis, the researchers first conducted a field experiment with 122 predominantly female participants, primarily between 18 and 24. The women were asked how much they thought they would enjoy their lunch before eating it. They then ate their lunch in one of three settings: no distraction, some distraction, which involved watching a video, or highly distracted while playing the video game Tetris.
After the meal, the women reported on several factors: how much they enjoyed their meal, their level of satisfaction, whether they wanted additional gratification and, if so, how much they consumed. They also recorded any subsequent snacking later that day.
Those who ate while distracted enjoyed their meals less and were less satisfied. They also snacked more and felt a greater need for further gratification afterward.
The researchers call this effect “hedonic compensation” and believe it also applies to activities other than eating.
For example, suppose you are distracted while watching a movie because you are talking on the phone, or folding laundry. According to the theory, you might be more likely to seek out activities you found pleasurable later, as you did not receive the amount of pleasure you would have if you had been fully focused on the movie. This could manifest as a late-night snack or scrolling social media to fill the gap.
Study 2
The second phase of the study expanded its focus beyond food to assess the wider impact of the effect.
This study involved more than 6,000 “consumption episodes” from various activities, including food, drink, media/audio, and leisure reading. The study used a group of 220 participants, primarily females between 18 and 71. Each was asked to fill out seven short surveys daily about their “hedonic consumption,” distraction, and level of satisfaction.
The results aligned with the first experiment, which found that those who consumed while distracted were less likely to enjoy the experience, felt less satisfied, and felt a greater need for additional gratification afterward.
“Overconsumption often results due to a lack of self-control,” Mr. Murphy said in a press release. “However, our findings suggest overconsumption may also often be driven by the simple human desire to reach a certain level of enjoyment from an activity. When distraction gets in the way, it’s likely we may try to compensate by consuming more.”
The Pitfalls of Multitasking
Although many of us embrace multitasking and its perceived benefits, a growing body of research suggests that we are not designed for it. An article in the journal Cerebrum published in 2019 explored multitasking and the brain. Researchers found that when multitasking:
The brain has to work harder.
We’re more easily distracted.
Tasks take longer to complete.
We make more mistakes.
Ultimately, they found, the brain is best suited to doing one thing at a time.
If you think you might be the exception, the study also found that we tend to overestimate our ability to multitask effectively—and that this perceived prowess often doesn’t align with our actual abilities.
As the initial study demonstrated, this distraction also likely robs us of the pleasure we seek to gain from an activity and causes us to seek out more pleasure later to make up for the deficit.
When Rewards Aren’t That Rewarding
Increased screen time has been shown to have far-reaching effects on health and well-being. These negative effects are particularly pronounced in children whose brains are still developing.
Dr. Michael Rich is an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. In an article on the Harvard website, he explains that digital media is alluring because it activates the brain’s reward system.
“Virtually all games and social media work on what’s called a variable reward system, which is exactly what you get when you go to Mohegan Sun and pull a lever on a slot machine. It balances the hope that you’re going to make it big with a little bit of frustration, and unlike the slot machine, a sense of skill needed to improve,” he said.
The article explains that managing this compulsive behavior is difficult for young people because their self-control systems are underdeveloped as their brains are still growing.
SeventyFour/Getty
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. When we engage in an activity we find pleasurable, the brain releases dopamine—making us feel good. Getting likes on social media, winning at blackjack, or beating the big baddie in the latest video game offers quick, consistent dopamine hits and can condition the brain to seek out more of these activities because they flood us with those feel-good chemicals. However, studies have found that this instant gratification can alter the brain’s reward system and lead to diminished enjoyment of activities that may take longer to come to fruition—such as reading a book, cultivating friendships, or mastering a skill. The effect can erode our feelings of pleasure for anything that isn’t immediately gratifying.
Final Thoughts
It is nearly impossible to imagine life without computers, tablets, and cellphones. These technological marvels have transformed how we work, learn, entertain ourselves, and connect with others. While our screens offer incredible benefits, in excess they can be harmful. Finding a balance that allows us to enjoy and appreciate the real world is one way we can reclaim the pleasures and connections that enrich our lives and make life worth living.
Emma is an acupuncture physician and has written extensively about health for multiple publications over the past decade. She is now a health reporter for The Epoch Times, covering Eastern medicine, nutrition, trauma, and lifestyle medicine.
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