Software Dev is a Drug
Exploring the origins of a coder's obsession
AI Generated tl;dr
Many software developers spend their free time writing code, which may seem surprising, but this article explores the reasons behind this behavior.
Software development offers the allure of "flow," a state of effortless productivity, which can be highly attractive and rewarding to developers.
The uncertainty in coding, where success is not guaranteed, is a powerful motivating factor, as it creates a sense of accomplishment when challenges are overcome.
The addictive nature of software development calls for caution and the need to balance one's time spent on coding with other activities and hobbies to ensure personal happiness and productivity.
I vividly remember having a 1-1 with a past manager who was taking an extended period of time away from work. When asked about what he planned on doing during his vacation, he replied: “I want to experiment with SwiftUI for iOS app development.”
Writing code is one of the few professions where people spend their free time writing more code. This observation has always been puzzling. One would think that after 40+ hours of staring at a computer, the last thing someone would want to do is to continue ruminating over lines of code.
Why is this the case?
In many ways, software development piggybacks on the same addictive mechanisms that make social media and recreational drugs so appealing.
Feedback loops in software development are insanely fast. In more “traditional” mechanical / electrical engineering, it could take months (if not years!) to create a prototype from an initial idea. With software, it could be a matter of hours (if not minutes!). This creates an endless flow of dopamine hits, not unlike the feedback loop of mindlessly scrolling TikTok for the next interesting video.
Creating a solution through code is rewarding, yet often uncertain. You don’t know for sure whether a specific change will fix a bug, or whether your code will compile after 30 minutes of hard work. This uncertainty, when paired with periodic success, is a powerful motivating factor. The phenomenon is termed the “unexpected rewards principle” and is well-known within human and animal psychology.
And lastly, we know too well the satisfaction of achieving “flow” while coding. While incomparable to cocaine-induced euphoria, the allure of effortless productivity is undeniably attractive.
If software development is so addictive, then perhaps we should treat it with the same level of caution that we do with any other indulgence.
I’ve come to realize that it’s important to be mindful of the time that I spend developing software. By clearly defining my boundaries and finding hobbies unrelated to my profession, I’ve not only become happier, but also more productive during my time spent writing code.