Following that shift, distraction begins to look like a form of emotion regulation. People often reach for quick stimuli when facing boredom, uncertainty, loneliness, or inadequacy—feelings that are real, but harder to sit with than a feed refresh. In this view, distraction is not the primary problem; it’s a response to internal discomfort.
That’s why two people can face the same task and only one escapes: the trigger is not the work itself but the emotional load attached to it. Eyal’s claim gains force here because “escape” implies intention, even if it’s subconscious—an effort to replace a difficult inner state with an easier one. [...]
