---
product_id: 61752155
title: "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked"
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---

# Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked

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## Description

“ Irresistible is a fascinating and much needed exploration of one of the most troubling phenomena of modern times.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of New York Times bestsellers David and Goliath and Outliers “One of the most mesmerizing and important books I’ve read in quite some time. Alter brilliantly illuminates the new obsessions that are controlling our lives and offers the tools we need to rescue our businesses, our families, and our sanity.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take Welcome to the age of behavioral addiction—an age in which half of the American population is addicted to at least one behavior. We obsess over our emails, Instagram likes, and Facebook feeds; we binge on TV episodes and YouTube videos; we work longer hours each year; and we spend an average of three hours each day using our smartphones. Half of us would rather suffer a broken bone than a broken phone, and Millennial kids spend so much time in front of screens that they struggle to interact with real, live humans. In this revolutionary book, Adam Alter, a professor of psychology and marketing at NYU, tracks the rise of behavioral addiction, and explains why so many of today's products are irresistible. Though these miraculous products melt the miles that separate people across the globe, their extraordinary and sometimes damaging magnetism is no accident. The companies that design these products tweak them over time until they become almost impossible to resist. By reverse engineering behavioral addiction, Alter explains how we can harness addictive products for the good—to improve how we communicate with each other, spend and save our money, and set boundaries between work and play—and how we can mitigate their most damaging effects on our well-being, and the health and happiness of our children. Adam Alter's previous book, Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave is available in paperback from Penguin.

Review: At first I thought technology would just keep getting better as time would grow and it could develop positively ... - In this compelling book, Adam Alter really made me think twice about where our society is going through the use of technology. His compelling words and statistics will completely change or further support your belief on electronic devices in this world we live in. At first I thought technology would just keep getting better as time would grow and it could develop positively towards everything from your health to the activities we do to entertain ourselves.Unfortunately this is not the case, it will destroy us and keep destroying our future generations to come. This book will be an eye opener and keep surprising you as you read further into it; ironically I was addicted to this book. Alter breaks up this book into three different parts; the basics of addiction, the engineering behind it, and the future of behavioral addiction in technology. The basics of addiction, part one, really clarifies and almost dumb down the definition of an addiction so the reader gets a basic and real understanding of what an addiction is. From there Alter really digs deep on the two sides of addiction; substance with physical things (drugs and alcohol) and a behavioral addiction explaining what each side is composed off and how they are similar but yet very different. This part truly helped me get a general understanding of what Alter was seeing and his perspective of things going forward in the book. Alter makes a statement in the book claiming "There's an addict in all of us" which surprised me that no matter what your personality traits or who you are we all can get hopelessly addicted to anything in this world. Individually we separate ourselves from the groups labeled "addicts" and act like that could never be us because we could never be capable of being people like that but Alter puts that to the test when asking questions like "Is your phone in reach of you right now" or "do you charge your phone near your bed at night". These questions truly put your thoughts to the test and it made me realize that we can all get addicted at one point in our lives and half of us don't even realize their addictions to their devices. Alter makes his first point about technology being addictive when he brings up the discussion about sleep deprivation occurring more frequently in the U.S. because of blue light, which is exactly the light used in our phones. Alter in this first section provides a lot of factual evidence and stories to back up his knowledge and points. Part two of the book is all about what makes a behavioral addiction, addictive. Adam claims there the most 6 parts that make the addictions addictive which are goals feedback, process, escalation, cliffhangers,and social interaction. The way he describes them and links them into addiction is very powerful and is clear in his wording. The last part, and most addictive in my opinion, is all about the future for our generations and some proposed solutions. Alter really bring out the idea that technology usage if goes up will become dangerously harmful for the future generations to come. However Alter brings hope when he claims there are solutions already being created to try and help people with technology addiction. He does re-clarify at the end that technology is not bad or good but it is up to us what way we go with it.
Review: Good overall information and message - The book, “Irresistible,” by Adam Alter ties together various behavioral addictions seen in our modern age such as being addicted to phones, social media or even something as simple as online shopping. While this book provides good insight on a problem paving its way into our world, it gives a realization of how much technology is taking over our lives and really taking control. Alter keeps the audience intrigued by providing various examples of addictions including GIs in the army being addicted to heroin, kids being addicted to technology from an early age and how game designers use various sound effects and music to keep the player wanting more. It was interesting to look at things from a game designer's point of view to see what they specifically add in their games to make the average player wanting to play non stop, even when they lose. The author also includes scientific reasoning and past experiments to help explain why we like the things we do and continue to exhibit those behaviors. Using animals like rats and monkeys to help explain why our brain likes certain things allows the reader to look at the topic from a new perspective. As social media continues to grow and draw in our young teens, this book explains how people are so obsessed with receiving likes and the attention their media draws in. I liked how the author used other behavioral addictions like talking to a lady who was addicted to online shopping. It shows you how many examples of addictions there are that we might not have even considered to be addicting. On the same note, I appreciate how he included obvious things we’d think to be addictions like heroin or meth. Although this book gives you good insight on a new behavioral addiction coming to our day and age, it tends to be a little repetitive in information. While it’s good to give different examples of how this addiction can be seen, it starts to get old after four or five of the same concept are given in different ways with very little variation. Despite the repetition of this book, it allows the reader to become more self aware of their own behavioral addictions, asking themselves, “Am I addicted to the internet?” While majority of the time while reading this book, I was interested in what was being said, at times I found myself getting sidetracked and not paying attention to the information the author was portraying and having to go back a reread what I just read. I think majority of the information was good, but some wasn’t necessary and the length of the book honestly could’ve been cut down. With all the time elaborating on all the for the most part similar addictions, I feel like Alter could have spent more time talking about how to prevent the average person from getting pulled into the power of addictions.There was a lot of information but not really a solution. I think this is a good book for all to read just for the fact to become self aware and make sure you’re not spending three plus hours consumed in your phone daily. Majority of people you ask probably don’t even know they could be addicted to their phone or some other behavior. Overall, “Irresistible,” by Adam Alter was a good read and one that really makes you think about the growing power of technology.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #35,405 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Social Media Guides #12 in Human-Computer Interaction (Books) #39 in Communication & Media Studies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,170 Reviews |

## Images

![Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71j7ghFBT4L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ At first I thought technology would just keep getting better as time would grow and it could develop positively ...
*by J***C on August 18, 2017*

In this compelling book, Adam Alter really made me think twice about where our society is going through the use of technology. His compelling words and statistics will completely change or further support your belief on electronic devices in this world we live in. At first I thought technology would just keep getting better as time would grow and it could develop positively towards everything from your health to the activities we do to entertain ourselves.Unfortunately this is not the case, it will destroy us and keep destroying our future generations to come. This book will be an eye opener and keep surprising you as you read further into it; ironically I was addicted to this book. Alter breaks up this book into three different parts; the basics of addiction, the engineering behind it, and the future of behavioral addiction in technology. The basics of addiction, part one, really clarifies and almost dumb down the definition of an addiction so the reader gets a basic and real understanding of what an addiction is. From there Alter really digs deep on the two sides of addiction; substance with physical things (drugs and alcohol) and a behavioral addiction explaining what each side is composed off and how they are similar but yet very different. This part truly helped me get a general understanding of what Alter was seeing and his perspective of things going forward in the book. Alter makes a statement in the book claiming "There's an addict in all of us" which surprised me that no matter what your personality traits or who you are we all can get hopelessly addicted to anything in this world. Individually we separate ourselves from the groups labeled "addicts" and act like that could never be us because we could never be capable of being people like that but Alter puts that to the test when asking questions like "Is your phone in reach of you right now" or "do you charge your phone near your bed at night". These questions truly put your thoughts to the test and it made me realize that we can all get addicted at one point in our lives and half of us don't even realize their addictions to their devices. Alter makes his first point about technology being addictive when he brings up the discussion about sleep deprivation occurring more frequently in the U.S. because of blue light, which is exactly the light used in our phones. Alter in this first section provides a lot of factual evidence and stories to back up his knowledge and points. Part two of the book is all about what makes a behavioral addiction, addictive. Adam claims there the most 6 parts that make the addictions addictive which are goals feedback, process, escalation, cliffhangers,and social interaction. The way he describes them and links them into addiction is very powerful and is clear in his wording. The last part, and most addictive in my opinion, is all about the future for our generations and some proposed solutions. Alter really bring out the idea that technology usage if goes up will become dangerously harmful for the future generations to come. However Alter brings hope when he claims there are solutions already being created to try and help people with technology addiction. He does re-clarify at the end that technology is not bad or good but it is up to us what way we go with it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good overall information and message
*by P***A on August 18, 2017*

The book, “Irresistible,” by Adam Alter ties together various behavioral addictions seen in our modern age such as being addicted to phones, social media or even something as simple as online shopping. While this book provides good insight on a problem paving its way into our world, it gives a realization of how much technology is taking over our lives and really taking control. Alter keeps the audience intrigued by providing various examples of addictions including GIs in the army being addicted to heroin, kids being addicted to technology from an early age and how game designers use various sound effects and music to keep the player wanting more. It was interesting to look at things from a game designer's point of view to see what they specifically add in their games to make the average player wanting to play non stop, even when they lose. The author also includes scientific reasoning and past experiments to help explain why we like the things we do and continue to exhibit those behaviors. Using animals like rats and monkeys to help explain why our brain likes certain things allows the reader to look at the topic from a new perspective. As social media continues to grow and draw in our young teens, this book explains how people are so obsessed with receiving likes and the attention their media draws in. I liked how the author used other behavioral addictions like talking to a lady who was addicted to online shopping. It shows you how many examples of addictions there are that we might not have even considered to be addicting. On the same note, I appreciate how he included obvious things we’d think to be addictions like heroin or meth. Although this book gives you good insight on a new behavioral addiction coming to our day and age, it tends to be a little repetitive in information. While it’s good to give different examples of how this addiction can be seen, it starts to get old after four or five of the same concept are given in different ways with very little variation. Despite the repetition of this book, it allows the reader to become more self aware of their own behavioral addictions, asking themselves, “Am I addicted to the internet?” While majority of the time while reading this book, I was interested in what was being said, at times I found myself getting sidetracked and not paying attention to the information the author was portraying and having to go back a reread what I just read. I think majority of the information was good, but some wasn’t necessary and the length of the book honestly could’ve been cut down. With all the time elaborating on all the for the most part similar addictions, I feel like Alter could have spent more time talking about how to prevent the average person from getting pulled into the power of addictions.There was a lot of information but not really a solution. I think this is a good book for all to read just for the fact to become self aware and make sure you’re not spending three plus hours consumed in your phone daily. Majority of people you ask probably don’t even know they could be addicted to their phone or some other behavior. Overall, “Irresistible,” by Adam Alter was a good read and one that really makes you think about the growing power of technology.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If Adults Find Technolgoy "Irresistible", Imagine How Hard It Must Be For Our Children!
*by H***Y on May 30, 2017*

As soon as I came across "Irresistible", I couldn't wait to read it. And then, when I read the credentials of its author - Dr. Adam Alter - I was even more excited! I wanted to know what a professor of psychology and marketing at New York University had to say about the rise of behavioral addiction! I wanted to connect with someone who understands the consequences of behavioral addictions - especially Internet Addiction - and how it is impacting the well-being and health of adults' lives and even more importantly, that of our children's. For over the past seven years, I have been researching, writing, and speaking about cyber bullying. Although I emphasize the importance of protection and intervention in dealing with this harmful behavior, I always stress the importance of "prevention" and of addressing "causation". I want audiences to understand that cyber bullying is not a "cause" of anything - it is a "symptom" reflective of a change in the human condition. It is a symptom of the "slow erosion of the human empathic spirit". Technology itself is not inherently bad; however, it is our "relationship" with technology which facilitates harmful actions and often contributes to dangerous disorders and/or behavioral dependence or addiction. Although I found "Irresistible" to be "irresistible", the two parts I found most informative were Part 1: "What Is Behavioral Addiction And Where Did It Come From?" and Part Three: "The Future of Behavioral Addiction (And Some Solutions)". I especially appreciated Dr. Alter's explanation of how behavioral addiction develops from an individual's desire to meet basic human needs, and thus, he normalizes the experience rather than pathologizing it. While Dr. Alter clearly diffentiates between obsessions, compulsions, passions, and "behavioral addiction", he also cautions readers, "We shouldn't use a watered-down term to describe them, we should acknowledge how serious they are, how much harm they're doing to our collective well-being, and how much attention they deserve. The evidence so far is concerning, and trends suggest we're wading deeper into dangerous waters." Dr. Alter supports his findings with opinions and research studies from many of the most notible in the field. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I also appreciated Part Three: Chapter 10 - "Nipping Behavioral Addictions at Birth." Although Dr. Alter thoroughly discusses a myriad of behavioral approaches and methodololgies to treatment of Internet Addiction, I found his list of three major qualities of healthy screen time to most helpful for parents/gaurdians: "First, parents should encourage their children to connect what they see in the screen world to their eperience of the real world... Second, active engagement is better than passive viewing...Third, screen time should always focus on the content of the app rather than the techology itself." In addition, in order to mitigate the harmful effects of screen time, Dr. Alter stresses the importance of family "face to face" time communicating and socially interacting and working towards a healthy "balance" in our relationship with technology. In conclusion, I highly recommend "Irresistible" to a variety of audiences (health care professionals, educators, counselors, therapists, parent/guardians) but especially to those who may be struggling with the concept of "Internet Addiction" or "Screen Dependence". The harmful effects of excessive screen time are well-documented; and unfortunately, the damaging consequences are much more severe for the developing brains of our young children. However, I want to stress once again, technology itself is not the cause of the problem. It is our degree of access and exposure to and consumption of it! Because we, as adults, enjoy our screen time and we see everyone else doing so, it is hard to change our behaviors! If we find it "Irresistible", imagine how hard it must be for our children! Holli Kenley, M.A., MFT Cyber Bullying No More: Parenting A High Tech Generation (Growing with Love) Another Way: A Novel

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