And that distinction — between addiction and obsession — is key, since there's a difference between being addicted to social media and being obsessed with it, says Larry Rosen , PhD, a research psychologist who explores our relationship with technology. If you get pleasure out of checking Instagram often, and keep checking in because it makes you feel good, then that could be considered a sign of an addiction, Dr. Rosen says. But if you like to check Instagram frequently because you're stressed that you might miss a post, then that'd be more of an obsession, he says. "The difference is biochemical: In an addiction, your brain is striving to get certain chemicals, like dopamine or serotonin," he says. But if you're obsessed, thinking about checking in signals anxiety chemicals in your brain, like cortisol and adrenaline. "So the act of checking in reduces anxiety," Dr. Rosen says.