Am I Normal?habits
I check closed apps on my phone compulsively, even when I know there's nothing new
Compulsive app-checking is driven by variable reward scheduling — the same mechanism that makes slot machines addictive. You don't always find something new, but sometimes you do, and the unpredictability of the reward is more compelling than certainty. The behaviour is deliberately engineered by app designers.
Have you ever done this?
Be honest — have you ever done this?
Related fact
B.F. Skinner's research in the 1950s established that variable-ratio reinforcement (occasional random rewards) produces the most resistant-to-extinction, most compulsive behaviours in all species tested — including humans with smartphones.