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Imagine that during a routine check-up, a doctor informs you that your mental performance has declined, your ability to communicate with people has deteriorated, and you have become less able to remember what happens to you in everyday life. What to do? #Stop Looking At Your Phones.
In recent years, researchers have been actively studying the effects of mobile phones on people. And the findings are troubling. The “mere presence” of a cell phone (even when not in use) influences results in complex tasks. Participants in the study were asked to quickly look over a series of numbers and cross out any consecutive numbers that add up to a given number (for example, any two numbers add up to three). Before the experiments began, half of the participants were asked to put their phones away and the other half to put them on the table. Not a single phone rang during the experiment. However, the results of those participants whose smartphones were on the table were worse by almost 20%.
Why does even a silent phone have such an impact? We have probably already developed the habit of constantly waiting for calls or messages. And now, even if the phone just lies nearby and we see it with peripheral vision, this already distracts our attention, leaving less mental resources for the task.
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And it’s not just our ability to solve problems that suffers. A study conducted at the University of Essex (UK) showed that cell phones negatively affect our ability to form close interpersonal bonds.
In a laboratory experiment, scientists divided volunteers who did not know each other into pairs and asked them to take turns telling each other about everything interesting that had happened in their lives over the past month. Half of the participants had a phone on the table, while the rest had a simple notepad.
The results are surprising: those who communicated with each other while holding the phone in their field of view considered their counterpart less understanding and less trustworthy. They were also more skeptical about the likelihood that further communication with this person could develop into a close friendship.
The next study, conducted at the Virginia Polytechnic University (USA), confirmed that next to a cell phone, not only does the impression of a partner worsen, but the quality of the conversation also decreases. “In the presence of a mobile device, people are less likely to make eye contact,” said study leader Shalini Misra. This means that the interlocutors are less likely to catch minor changes in each other’s facial expressions or tone of voice.
Smartphones not only impair our concentration. There is good reason to believe that their frequent use, as well as our constant online presence, interferes with the formation of memories. To transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory, the brain needs rest. When every free moment we are busy checking email or replying to messages, there are fewer opportunities to form long-term memories.
Isn’t it a paradox that a device designed to increase efficiency and facilitate connections does just the opposite. Smartphones are, of course, a special case of the general problem associated with the use of technology. We want to use it to better control our lives, but in the end it begins to control us.
Take, for example, the use of technology at work. To complete a task, we need to focus and concentrate on what we are doing. But technology prevents us from doing this.
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For example, a message arrives. A notification window appears on the screen, a bell rings or the counter of unread letters grows. And every time the brain has to make a choice – check the mail or continue to work? Answer now or later? All of this takes energy.
Scientists from the University of Michigan (USA) came to the conclusion that even if we are distracted for a short time, this greatly increases the risk of making a mistake. Valuable mental resources are wasted on refocusing, leaving us with less energy to work. In addition, the constant need to make decisions leads to fatigue. What prevents us from distinguishing really important things from those that only seem urgent.
What can you do if you really want to make a difference? First of all, stop tempting yourself. Do not keep your smartphone on the table. Cancel notifications for incoming emails. Plan a time in your work schedule when you will devote yourself completely to one task, without distractions. And remember, sometimes the best way to be more productive is to turn off the screen and just think.
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