Cal Newport tracked down the development lead for the first iPhone. Nothing about the tech ever required you to look at it constantly.

Steve Jobs was a minimalist. A beautiful object you pulled out to play a song, call your mom, find an address.

Then the Facebook IPO hit and the apps needed revenue. They re-engineered everything around likes, retweets, photo auto tags.

Newport's word for it: social approval indicators. Now you check in line, in the bathroom, walking the dog.

Lewis Howes names the trap. The more likes you collect, the less worthy you feel, so you post again to prove you're enough.

Your social brain has no idea what to do with a number next to a thumbs up icon. It knows faces, time, someone who bothered to show up.

Friend has a baby? Congrats with three exclamation points costs you nothing, which is exactly the problem.

Drive over with snacks and towels. That hour is what connection is made of.

Sign up for the Greatness newsletter: http://www.greatness.com/newsletter

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How To Build Real Connection And Destroy The Likes Habit | Cal Newport

The Daily Motivation