Hooked by Design

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Why do our minds feel so overwhelmed in a world designed to keep us clicking, comparing, striving and wanting more? In Hooked by Design, Ramya Ranganathan reveals how modern hyper-stimulating culture hijacks ancient brain systems built for survival, belonging and reward leaving us distracted, anxious and disconnected from what makes us feel fully alive.

Blending neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, coaching insights and personal experience, Ranganathan introduces a memorable cast of inner characters including Captain Storm, our threat detector, to Dopamma, the restless force of pursuit, and Serona, the voice of steadiness and enoughness. Through examples from coaching clients, classrooms, family life, social media, work culture and her own struggles, the author shows how these circuits shape everyday behaviour: comparing oneself to a colleague’s promotion, overgiving in group chats, working without rest, using humour to avoid difficult conversations, expecting instant responses from loved ones, buying more than needed and mistaking information consumption for learning.

The book’s argument is compassionate rather than shaming: these behaviours are not personal failures but predictable outcomes of ancient circuits placed inside exploitative modern systems, and you can rewild your brain and free yourself once you understand how it is being exploited.