Adam Alter is a marketing author who also teaches at

New York University Stern School of Business The Leonard N. Stern School of Business (also NYU Stern, Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business school of New York University, a private research university based in New York City. Founded as the School of Commerce, Accounts ...

Early life

Adam moved with his family from South Africa to Australia in the 1980s.

Education and work

Alter obtained a scholarship to study actuarial science at the University of New South Wales, but switched to psychology and law. Alter earned his Bachelor of Science from

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

and M.A. and Ph.D at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. His book ''Irresistible'' (2017) has received positive reviews by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', saying it "explores the roots of our tech addiction," ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' saying "enjoyable yet alarming," ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', saying "illuminating on the ways that designers engineer behavioral addiction." In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Alter pointed out that many "

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

titans refuse to let their kids near certain devices" and that was his motivation to write the book. Speaking to the '' APA Monitor'', Alter revealed his from his conversations with other psychologists, he learned that communicating via electronic devices had become the default option for many young people, a fact that contributes to their mental problems. He told ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' that the parents and teenagers he surveyed generally expressed unease with social media, in part because they faced peer pressure to use it.

Media appearances

In August 2017, Alter appeared on the ''

PBS Newshour ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS Network affiliate#Member stations, member stat ...

'' explaining why smartphones can be so addictive and why it is worth reducing usage.

Publications

*Alter, Adam L. ''Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave''. Penguin Press, 2013. . *Alter, Adam L. ''Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.'' Penguin Press, 2017. . *Alter, Adam L. ''Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When it Matters Most.'' Simon and Schuster, 2023. .

References

External links

Why our screens make us less happy
TED Talk. August 1, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alter, Adam American male non-fiction writers University of New South Wales alumni Princeton University alumni New York University faculty