Okay, maybe it’s not quite that scary, but our phones seem to be changing our brains for the worse. A study this week from the University of Missouri has reported that people who are separated from their iPhones for too long can experience psychological distress. Subjects who participated experienced increased heart rates and blood pressure, as well as anxiety and decreased performance on mental tasks. The researchers have surmised that phones are so connected to us now that being away from them, even for a short time, is as if we are missing part of ourselves and experiencing a “lessening of self.”
As someone who deals with students and their obsession with their phones on a regular basis, this study is sad, but not too surprising. I read an article (a while back unfortunately, and I can’t remember where it was) whose author had a theory as to what this phenomenon ultimately reveals about people. For those that are constantly checking their phones for twitter updates, texts, or emails, he wrote, they are followers of the worst kind. These phone-watchers are literally waiting for something to happen outside of themselves that they can react to. They have a need to follow someone else’s life, someone else’s actions, someone else’s ideas instead of creating their own. For a generation that claims to be so unique and individualistic, they are ironically beholden to the whims of others on a nearly second-by-second basis. Sitting and waiting to respond to others is not a very creative or interesting way to live life, he wrote. You should be the one leading, not following. Do exciting things, say important things, think new things. Stop waiting for everyone else to feed you a secondhand existence through a tweet or a text. Stop being such a follower.
He suggested a way to curb your phone-watching habits: you have to invent or accomplish something before you are allowed to react to an incoming message. You’re sitting at home, your phone buzzes, and instead of immediately looking at that screen, you have to do something first. If you’re a wannabe musician, you have to write a stanza of lyrics or a new chord progression before checking your phone. If you are trying to be more well-read, you have to read three pages of a novel before responding. If you are frustrated with your job, you have to come up with a new idea you can implement at work to help your company before you see what tweet or text came through. Considering how many times your phone buzzes each day, imagine all the creative and interesting things you could get done. Force yourself to do something new and productive, he said, instead of living such a passive, reactionary life.
Though most young people and adults alike won’t enjoy hearing that message, I think it’s an important one. If you are someone who needs your phone by your side every second, give it a rest. Wean yourself and embrace the freedom it brings. Here’s what I do (and it is probably easier than the suggestion above): I have a kind of unwritten rule where I try to never take my phone beyond my car. When I leave the house, I certainly take my phone just in case there’s an accident or other emergency. But when I arrive at my destination, I leave it in the car. I try to never take it into a movie theater, a restaurant, the mall, my classroom, or anywhere else. I don’t want the interruptions or the temptations. When I’m out to dinner with my wife, I’m with her. When I’m at a movie with a buddy, I’m with him. When I’m teaching class, I’m with my students. I try to be in the moment, respecting the presence of those other people. I’m not perfect—sometimes I forget that it’s in my pocket or briefcase. But I try. See if you can go a week without taking your phone everywhere you go. See if you can go just one day where you only pick it up when someone is actually calling you at that moment and you will have a voice-to-voice conversation. You know, like humans used to do. Then try to go one more day, and another after that. See what happens. Who knows, you might like it. If the research is right, you could even become a healthier, smarter, and happier person! Isn’t that more important than receiving yet another Kardashian selfie tweet?
Take a break from the phones, especially at school. Give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you.
As someone who deals with students and their obsession with their phones on a regular basis, this study is sad, but not too surprising. I read an article (a while back unfortunately, and I can’t remember where it was) whose author had a theory as to what this phenomenon ultimately reveals about people. For those that are constantly checking their phones for twitter updates, texts, or emails, he wrote, they are followers of the worst kind. These phone-watchers are literally waiting for something to happen outside of themselves that they can react to. They have a need to follow someone else’s life, someone else’s actions, someone else’s ideas instead of creating their own. For a generation that claims to be so unique and individualistic, they are ironically beholden to the whims of others on a nearly second-by-second basis. Sitting and waiting to respond to others is not a very creative or interesting way to live life, he wrote. You should be the one leading, not following. Do exciting things, say important things, think new things. Stop waiting for everyone else to feed you a secondhand existence through a tweet or a text. Stop being such a follower.
He suggested a way to curb your phone-watching habits: you have to invent or accomplish something before you are allowed to react to an incoming message. You’re sitting at home, your phone buzzes, and instead of immediately looking at that screen, you have to do something first. If you’re a wannabe musician, you have to write a stanza of lyrics or a new chord progression before checking your phone. If you are trying to be more well-read, you have to read three pages of a novel before responding. If you are frustrated with your job, you have to come up with a new idea you can implement at work to help your company before you see what tweet or text came through. Considering how many times your phone buzzes each day, imagine all the creative and interesting things you could get done. Force yourself to do something new and productive, he said, instead of living such a passive, reactionary life.
Though most young people and adults alike won’t enjoy hearing that message, I think it’s an important one. If you are someone who needs your phone by your side every second, give it a rest. Wean yourself and embrace the freedom it brings. Here’s what I do (and it is probably easier than the suggestion above): I have a kind of unwritten rule where I try to never take my phone beyond my car. When I leave the house, I certainly take my phone just in case there’s an accident or other emergency. But when I arrive at my destination, I leave it in the car. I try to never take it into a movie theater, a restaurant, the mall, my classroom, or anywhere else. I don’t want the interruptions or the temptations. When I’m out to dinner with my wife, I’m with her. When I’m at a movie with a buddy, I’m with him. When I’m teaching class, I’m with my students. I try to be in the moment, respecting the presence of those other people. I’m not perfect—sometimes I forget that it’s in my pocket or briefcase. But I try. See if you can go a week without taking your phone everywhere you go. See if you can go just one day where you only pick it up when someone is actually calling you at that moment and you will have a voice-to-voice conversation. You know, like humans used to do. Then try to go one more day, and another after that. See what happens. Who knows, you might like it. If the research is right, you could even become a healthier, smarter, and happier person! Isn’t that more important than receiving yet another Kardashian selfie tweet?
Take a break from the phones, especially at school. Give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you.