Alter distinguishes between substance addictions (alcohol, drugs, nicotine) and behavioral addictions (gambling, gaming, social media, exercise, work). The key finding: behavioral addictions activate the same dopamine pathways as substance addictions. The brain doesn't distinguish between a variable reward delivered by a slot machine and one delivered by an Instagram like notification.
The book profiles the designers who created these systems — and documents their own ambivalence. Steve Jobs famously limited his children's iPad use. Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey described his company's product as "the highway, not the car." Engineers who built infinite scroll report rarely using it themselves.
For DarkBadge's purposes: Irresistible provides the research foundation for the Bottomlessness dimension (infinite scroll as a deliberate engagement mechanic) and the Difficult to Self-Regulate dimension (why stopping is genuinely hard, not just a character flaw).