Chapter 7 Exercises: Dopamine Loops

Reflection Prompts

1. [Reflection] The Wanting vs. Liking Audit For one day, keep a log of every time you use social media. After each session, rate two things on a scale of 1–10: how much you wanted to use the platform before opening it, and how much you liked the experience after closing it. At the end of the day, compare the two scores. What patterns do you notice? Does your wanting consistently exceed your liking? Write a 300-word reflection on what this reveals about your relationship with the platform.

2. [Reflection] The Anxiety Inventory Think about the last time you were unable to check your phone for an extended period — perhaps in a meeting, a movie, or a family event. Describe in writing the physical and emotional sensations you experienced. Try to be specific: Was there tension in your chest? Restlessness? Intrusive thoughts about what might be waiting for you? How long did the discomfort last, and what happened when you finally checked your phone? Use the chapter's framework to analyze what you experienced.

3. [Reflection] Dopamine and Your Posting Behavior Think about the last time you posted something on social media and then checked for responses. Describe your internal experience: How often did you check? What did it feel like to see new likes or comments? What did it feel like when the notifications slowed? Try to articulate the difference between the experience of anticipating a response and the experience of receiving one. Which was more intense?

4. [Reflection] The Infinite Scroll Experience Set a timer for five minutes and use your most-used social media app normally. When the timer goes off, stop immediately. Write down: How much time did you think had passed? Were you planning to stop soon anyway, or did the timer surprise you? What were you feeling at the moment of stopping — relief, frustration, continued desire to scroll? Use the chapter's discussion of temporal distortion to analyze your experience.

5. [Reflection] Platform Design Choices Make a list of every design feature in your most-used social media app that you believe functions as a variable ratio reward mechanism. For each feature, describe: (a) what the variable reward is, (b) how the unpredictability is built in, and (c) how the feature keeps you on the platform longer than you intended.

Research Tasks

6. [Research] Mapping the Mesolimbic Pathway Using academic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar) or textbook resources, find and read one peer-reviewed paper on the role of the nucleus accumbens in reward processing. Write a 400-word summary that explains the paper's key findings in language accessible to a non-specialist reader. Include the full citation.

7. [Research] Skinner's Original Research Find and read excerpts from B.F. Skinner's "The Behavior of Organisms" (1938) or "Schedules of Reinforcement" (1957, co-authored with Charles Ferster). Summarize the methodology of the variable ratio reinforcement experiments and their key behavioral findings. Then write a 200-word analysis of how well these findings translate to human behavior on social media platforms.

8. [Research] The Slot Machine Literature Research Natasha Dow Schull's work on casino machine design. Find at least two reviews or excerpts of "Addiction by Design" (2012) and one interview with Schull. Write a 500-word analysis of the parallels between casino machine design and social media platform design. Where does the analogy hold, and where does it break down?

9. [Research] Platform A/B Testing Practices Research publicly available information about how major social media platforms conduct A/B testing. Sources might include: former employee accounts, platform transparency reports, academic studies of platform experimentation, or investigative journalism. Write a 400-word report on what you find. What aspects of platform behavior are being tested? What metrics are being optimized?

10. [Research] The Berridge Distinction Find and read the abstract and introduction of Kent Berridge and Terry Robinson's 1998 paper "What is the role of dopamine in reward: hedonic impact, reward learning, or incentive salience?" (Brain Research Reviews). Write a 300-word summary of the wanting/liking distinction and its implications for understanding compulsive behavior.

11. [Research] Adolescent Brain Vulnerability Research the developmental neuroscience of the adolescent brain, focusing on the dopamine system and the prefrontal cortex. Find at least two sources (one academic, one accessible) that describe why adolescents may be particularly susceptible to variable ratio reinforcement. Write a 400-word synthesis of what you find.

Analysis Exercises

12. [Analysis] The Notification Audit For one week, track every notification you receive from all apps: the time, the platform, the type of notification, and whether you opened it immediately, delayed, or ignored it. At the end of the week, create a visual map of your notification landscape. What patterns emerge? Which platforms send notifications at which times of day? How does notification timing relate to your likelihood of opening the app?

13. [Analysis] Pull-to-Refresh as a Slot Machine Open any app with a pull-to-refresh feature and perform the gesture fifty times in a row, keeping track of your experience. Note: How often do you receive content that feels rewarding? How often do you receive nothing new or nothing interesting? Does the unpredictability of the reward affect your motivation to continue? Write a 300-word analysis using the variable ratio reinforcement framework.

14. [Analysis] Comparing Reinforcement Schedules Design a thought experiment: Imagine three versions of your favorite social media app. Version A shows you exactly how many likes your post has received every hour, on a fixed schedule. Version B shows likes randomly, with no pattern — sometimes you see a spike, sometimes nothing for hours. Version C shows all likes immediately as they happen. Based on the chapter's discussion of reinforcement schedules, predict which version would produce the most compulsive checking behavior and explain why.

15. [Analysis] The Autoplay Experiment Watch content on a video platform (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels) with autoplay enabled for 30 minutes. Then watch for 30 minutes with autoplay disabled, manually choosing each new video. Write a 400-word comparison of the two experiences. How did your sense of time differ? How did your satisfaction differ? How did your sense of agency differ?

16. [Analysis] Serotonin vs. Dopamine Platform Design Imagine you are a product designer tasked with redesigning a social media platform to maximize serotonin-based satisfaction rather than dopamine-based wanting. Sketch out (in writing or diagrams) what the platform would look like. What features would you remove? What would you add? What metrics would you optimize? Then analyze: Would this platform be commercially viable? Why or why not?

17. [Analysis] The Ethics of Notification Timing Return to the Velocity Media scenario in which Marcus Webb proposes sending more notifications in the 6–8 a.m. window to catch users when executive function is suppressed. Write a 500-word ethical analysis of this decision. Use at least two ethical frameworks (e.g., consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics) to evaluate the choice. What additional information would you need to make a complete ethical judgment?

Creative Tasks

18. [Creative] A Day in Maya's Head Write a first-person narrative of one hour in Maya's life as she tries to complete her homework while her phone sits on her desk. The narrative should accurately represent the neurochemical processes described in the chapter — the dopamine-driven wanting, the relief of checking, the frustration of distraction — while remaining psychologically realistic and empathetic. Aim for 500–700 words.

19. [Creative] Design a Dark Pattern You are a product designer at a fictional social media company. Your task is to design a new notification feature specifically intended to exploit variable ratio reinforcement. Write a product brief (400 words) describing the feature, how it works, why it will increase daily active users, and the A/B test you would run to validate it. Then write a 200-word ethical reflection on what you have designed.

20. [Creative] The Regret Memo Imagine you are Aza Raskin, inventor of infinite scroll, five years after you invented it. Write a memo to yourself — the version of you who was about to invent infinite scroll — explaining what you now know about its behavioral effects. The memo should be specific about the neurological mechanisms and their consequences, and should grapple honestly with the question of whether knowing this information in advance would or should have changed your decision.

21. [Creative] Designing the Study Space Based on what you have learned about dopamine, notification triggers, and the behavioral effects of smartphone presence, design an ideal study environment for a student like Maya. Your design should address: physical placement of the phone, notification settings, environmental cues, and scheduled break intervals. Write a 300-word description of the environment and explain the behavioral science behind each design choice.

Group Discussion Exercises

22. [Group] The Responsibility Roundtable Divide into groups of four. Each group member takes one of the following roles: (1) a platform product manager defending engagement-focused design choices; (2) a neuroscientist explaining the behavioral consequences of those choices; (3) a parent of a teenager describing the impact on their family; (4) a public health official considering regulatory responses. Hold a twenty-minute structured discussion in which each perspective is fully heard, then write a joint 400-word statement identifying areas of agreement and disagreement.

23. [Group] The Platform Redesign Challenge In groups of three to five, redesign one feature of a major social media platform to reduce dopamine-driven compulsive use while preserving the feature's genuine social value. Present your redesign to the class, explaining: what the original feature did neurologically, how your redesign changes the behavioral dynamic, what you think users would gain and lose, and whether you believe the platform would adopt your redesign and why.

24. [Group] The Age of Consent Debate Should there be age restrictions on social media use, given what we know about adolescent dopamine system vulnerability? Hold a structured debate with two groups: one arguing for meaningful age restrictions and one arguing against them. Each side should incorporate evidence from the chapter into their argument. After the debate, write individual 300-word reflections on whether your position changed.

25. [Group] The Corporate Ethics Simulation Divide into groups to simulate a Velocity Media product meeting. Assign roles: CEO Sarah Chen, Head of Product Marcus Webb, Head of Ethics Dr. Aisha Johnson, and two additional product team members. Present the notification timing proposal from the chapter. Each character must argue from their perspective. The group must reach a decision and document both the decision and the reasoning. Debrief: What structural factors shaped the outcome?

Extended Projects

26. [Project] The Personal Dopamine Diary Over two weeks, keep a daily journal tracking your social media use with specific attention to the wanting/liking distinction, the experience of waiting for notifications, and the physical sensations associated with checking behavior. At the end of two weeks, write a 1,000-word analysis of your own dopamine loops.

27. [Project] Platform Comparison Study Choose two social media platforms and conduct a structured comparison of their variable ratio reinforcement mechanisms. For each platform, identify and document: the pull-to-refresh or equivalent mechanic, the notification system, the infinite scroll or equivalent feature, the social reward structure (likes, comments, etc.), and any unique dopamine-triggering features. Write a 1,000-word comparative analysis.

28. [Project] Interview Study Interview five people in your life about their social media habits, specifically probing the wanting/liking distinction, notification anxiety, and difficulty stopping. Develop an interview guide of ten questions based on chapter concepts. After conducting and recording (with permission) the interviews, write a 1,000-word thematic analysis of common patterns.

29. [Project] The Behavioral Design Audit Select one social media platform and conduct a comprehensive behavioral design audit. Identify every design element that functions as a dopamine trigger, variable reward, or behavioral nudge. Document each element with a screenshot or description, explain the behavioral mechanism it exploits, and rate its intensity. Compile your findings into a 1,500-word report with visual documentation.

30. [Project] Historical Comparison Research the history of another persuasion technology — television, radio, video games, or gambling machines — and trace the development of variable ratio reinforcement design principles in that medium. Write a 1,500-word essay comparing the historical case to social media, identifying both parallels and meaningful differences.

Assessment and Synthesis

31. [Synthesis] The Personal Action Plan Based on everything you have learned in this chapter, develop a personal action plan for managing your relationship with social media's dopamine loops. The plan should be realistic, specific, and grounded in behavioral science rather than willpower-based strategies. Write 500 words.

32. [Synthesis] The Policy Brief Write a 700-word policy brief addressed to a fictional legislative committee considering regulation of social media notification design. The brief should explain the neuroscience of dopamine loops in accessible terms, describe the specific design features of concern, propose one or two specific regulatory interventions, and acknowledge counterarguments.

33. [Synthesis] Letter to a Platform Write a 500-word open letter to the CEO of a social media platform, grounded in the neuroscience and behavioral science covered in this chapter. The letter should be specific (referencing real design features and real research), persuasive, and constructive — proposing at least one concrete design change that would reduce compulsive use while preserving genuine social value.

34. [Synthesis] The Explainer Article Write a 600-word explainer article aimed at a general audience (imagine it appearing in a newspaper or popular magazine) that accurately explains the neuroscience of dopamine loops and their relationship to social media design. The article should be accurate but accessible, avoiding jargon while preserving the substance of the chapter's key points.

35. [Synthesis] The Chapter Review Essay Write a 1,000-word essay responding to the following prompt: "The dopamine loop argument — that social media platforms deliberately exploit the neuroscience of reward to produce compulsive use — is either overstated or exactly right." Choose a position and argue it using evidence from the chapter, at least two additional sources, and your own reasoning. Your essay should acknowledge the strongest version of the opposing argument before refuting it.