Smart phones keep us connected and are a vital way to communicate, but too much of a good thing can be bad, and even addictive.
Studies show when you receive a text, a like, or a notification, your brain releases a small hit of dopamine.
That’s our brain’s feel-good chemical.
Over time, your brain is wired to crave that feeling, which is why most Americans spend almost five hours a day looking at their phone.
Neuropsychologist Emma Lovejoy Ducca with the Miami Neuroscience Institute says there is growing evidence that a 72-hour digital detox can change the wiring of our brains for the better.
“So we’ve kind of learned that the smart phone, those cues, those dings, those notifications are important for us to be healthy happy humans,” she said. “Our brains have this amazing ability, we call it neuroplasticity, to learn to adapt functionally and structurally, and so taking a break from our smartphones can allow us to, even for a temporary little bit, rewire a little bit.”
The re-wiring is shown to have many benefits. Without frequent interruptions, the brain is less stimulated.
Experts say anxiety is then reduced and memory is improved, and more.
“Getting better sleep is definitely one,” said Ducca. “I’ve also heard people say they feel their attention system is better, more easily able to pay attention for sustained periods of time because we aren’t having this continuous stimulation.”
Researchers acknowledge a three-day digital detox to re-wire the brain is likely not realistic for most of us.
They say even brief breaks can create change, but don’t go cold turkey.
“Have alternative activities and put them into place,” said Ducca. “OK, we know we need to put the smart phone down, but what do we do now, right? It makes it hard to ignore the smart phone, (so) come up with an alternative system, slow and steady wins the race.”
Ducca advised to keep your phone out of the bedroom and start each day with 30 to 60 minutes of phone free time, and go from there.
An interesting study out of the University of Essex found that just the presence of your phone, even when it’s face down and silent, reduces the quality of face-to-face conversations.
When you put the phone away, eye contact increases, empathy deepens, and relationships get stronger.
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