Ever found yourself reaching for your smartphone, entering your pass code and getting on Instagram so automatically you barely realised you were doing it?

You’re not the only one. According to GlobalWebIndex’s quarterly report on social networking, the average adult now spends almost two hours a day on it.

For lots of us, this isn’t surprising at all – in fact, maybe even feels like an underestimation – as many of us feel truly addicted to using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and others on a daily basis.

But what is it about these tools that we find so intensely more-ish?

Social Media Psychologist and Broadcaster Dr Arthur Cassidy says that while this is so for various psychological reasons, it all begins when we’re kids.

When we’re children, we form an attachment to our parents, family, friends and other relatives – who are usually the ones to give us basic games and toys, but nowadays also smartphones, tablets and other social media-carrying devices.

“This is what we call ‘exploration of novel stimuli’,” says Cassidy. “We become attracted to any objects that satiate our need for fun, excitement and physiological arousal.

“With social media, the more vibrant the colours, apps and wallpapers and so on are, the more the neurons in the brain cells become excited constantly as we ‘nourish’ the brain with interactivity.

“This gives us immense pleasure before boredom sets in. If one of those objects is a smartphone, for example, once we understand all its functions we seek to change it through new challenges – by downloading more exciting apps.”

In other words, one reason we find social media so addictive is because it acts a bit like a colourful game – constantly providing us with new tests to overcome and colours to gaze upon.

And whether you’re a child or an adult, that sense of challenge and reward is incredibly powerful. In fact, a small study at California State University recently found that viewing social media-related images activates the ‘amygdala’ and ‘striatum’ in our brains – the regions involved in its reward system and compulsive behaviour.

So calling it a social media ‘addiction’ isn’t as melodramatic as it sounds.

Besides addictiveness on a basic level, the other (more obvious) side of social media is how much it’s tied to how we perceive ourselves and others.

“As objects of desire, forms of social media represent our personal identities – and so we become controlled by them,” says Cassidy.

“We become so motivated to not miss out that this makes us feel alienated.”

So it comes as no surprise that our addiction to social media can feel like an endless cycle. We’re driven by the number of likes and notifications out there to be earned, but on the other, it becomes attached to our self worth.

The only problem being that we can never be satisfied – are you really going to beat Kylie Jenner’s Instagram likes? – so it seems that, as Cassidy says, feeling alienated is inevitable.

In order to cut down on social media use, Cassidy recommends thinking hard about what’s really motivating you to use your various social media channels – and that it’s more realistic to cut down rather than impose an outright ban.

“Etiquette is important – we don’t wish to alienate the friends physically around us,” says Cassidy.

“However, many individuals may need a few hours a day of social media contact for work, for example, so it’s better to make wise decisions on the ideal minimum of time you really do need on social media.

“It’s about getting the right healthy balance for positive mental health.”

How do you cut down on your social media use?