EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage

The pervasive use of smartphones has raised concerns about their addictive and maladaptive nature. This paper introduces an intervention based on rational addiction theory to cost-effectively nudge consumers to reduce smartphone usage, promoting sustainable digital consumption. We examine whether pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Somasundaram, Jeeva, Zimmermann, Laura, Pham, Quang Duc
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:IE
Repository:Repositorio IE
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.ie.edu:20.500.14417/3898
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429251405841
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3898
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429251405841
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:53 Ciencias Económicas::5311 Organización y dirección de empresas ::5311.05 Marketing (comercialización)
ODS 3 - Salud y bienestar
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oai_identifier_str oai:repositorio.ie.edu:20.500.14417/3898
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile UsageSomasundaram, JeevaZimmermann, LauraPham, Quang Duc53 Ciencias Económicas::5311 Organización y dirección de empresas ::5311.05 Marketing (comercialización)ODS 3 - Salud y bienestarThe pervasive use of smartphones has raised concerns about their addictive and maladaptive nature. This paper introduces an intervention based on rational addiction theory to cost-effectively nudge consumers to reduce smartphone usage, promoting sustainable digital consumption. We examine whether pre-announcing future targets to reduce smartphone usage influences current consumption and behavioral change. We develop a mathematical model incorporating habit formation, satiation, and projection bias, and test its predictions in three pre-registered randomized control trials using objectively measured smartphone usage. When future incentives and targets are pre-announced, consumers reduce usage pre-emptively compared to their baseline, consistent with rational addiction. This occurs only when participants are given fixed daily reduction targets, not when incentivized proportionally for reductions over time, and seems to reflect forward-looking habit formation, as other explanations (e.g., goal priming or capability testing) were unlikely to drive results. Interestingly, pre-emptive reductions are stronger among heavy users and those with stronger beliefs in meeting their targets. We also find that pre-emptive reductions help consumers meet their targets during the incentivized period and might support post-treatment behavioral sustenance. Our model fitting results reveal considerable heterogeneity and offer insights into how digital detox experiences can be structured to promote sustainable behavior change.yesPublishedSAGE Journalshttps://ror.org/02jjdwm7520252025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.1177/00222429251405841https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3898https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429251405841reponame:Repositorio IEinstname:IEInglésIE Business SchoolIE UniversityOperations & Business AnalyticsMarketing & CommunicationAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:repositorio.ie.edu:20.500.14417/38982026-06-15T12:40:57Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
title EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
spellingShingle EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
Somasundaram, Jeeva
53 Ciencias Económicas::5311 Organización y dirección de empresas ::5311.05 Marketing (comercialización)
ODS 3 - Salud y bienestar
title_short EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
title_full EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
title_fullStr EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
title_full_unstemmed EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
title_sort EXPRESS: Leveraging Rational Addiction Theory to Reduce Mobile Usage
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Somasundaram, Jeeva
Zimmermann, Laura
Pham, Quang Duc
author Somasundaram, Jeeva
author_facet Somasundaram, Jeeva
Zimmermann, Laura
Pham, Quang Duc
author_role author
author2 Zimmermann, Laura
Pham, Quang Duc
author2_role author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv https://ror.org/02jjdwm75
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 53 Ciencias Económicas::5311 Organización y dirección de empresas ::5311.05 Marketing (comercialización)
ODS 3 - Salud y bienestar
topic 53 Ciencias Económicas::5311 Organización y dirección de empresas ::5311.05 Marketing (comercialización)
ODS 3 - Salud y bienestar
description The pervasive use of smartphones has raised concerns about their addictive and maladaptive nature. This paper introduces an intervention based on rational addiction theory to cost-effectively nudge consumers to reduce smartphone usage, promoting sustainable digital consumption. We examine whether pre-announcing future targets to reduce smartphone usage influences current consumption and behavioral change. We develop a mathematical model incorporating habit formation, satiation, and projection bias, and test its predictions in three pre-registered randomized control trials using objectively measured smartphone usage. When future incentives and targets are pre-announced, consumers reduce usage pre-emptively compared to their baseline, consistent with rational addiction. This occurs only when participants are given fixed daily reduction targets, not when incentivized proportionally for reductions over time, and seems to reflect forward-looking habit formation, as other explanations (e.g., goal priming or capability testing) were unlikely to drive results. Interestingly, pre-emptive reductions are stronger among heavy users and those with stronger beliefs in meeting their targets. We also find that pre-emptive reductions help consumers meet their targets during the incentivized period and might support post-treatment behavioral sustenance. Our model fitting results reveal considerable heterogeneity and offer insights into how digital detox experiences can be structured to promote sustainable behavior change.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429251405841
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3898
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429251405841
url https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429251405841
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3898
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429251405841
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv IE Business School
IE University
Operations & Business Analytics
Marketing & Communication
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Attribution 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Attribution 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv SAGE Journals
publisher.none.fl_str_mv SAGE Journals
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositorio IE
instname:IE
instname_str IE
reponame_str Repositorio IE
collection Repositorio IE
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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