Science Daily: Fewer smartphones, more well-being
"On average, we spend more than three hours a day glued to our smartphone screens. We google, look for directions, check emails or the weather, shop, read the news, watch films, hang out on social media. It seems reasonable to suspect that all this is not good for us. Studies have shown that smartphone use is linked to problems such as less physical activity, obesity, neck pain, impaired performance, and addiction-like behavior -- to name just a few. "The smartphone is both a blessing and a curse," says Julia Brailovskaia.
The one-week intervention changed the participants' usage habits in the long term: even four months after the end of the experiment, the members of the abstinence group used their smartphone on average 38 minutes less per day than before. The group who had spent one hour less per day with the smartphone during the experiment used it as much as 45 minutes less per day after four months than before. At the same time, life satisfaction and time spent being physically active increased. Symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as nicotine consumption decreased. "It's not necessary to completely give up the smartphone to feel better," concludes Brailovskaia. "There may be an optimal daily usage time.”"
My Takeaways From This Article
Smartphone use like the article says is a blessing and a curse. There are pros in using a smartphone such as connection with others and entertainment purposes but there are cons involved with smartphone usage including lack of general activity, quality sleep and even associated self-esteem issues that come with social media.
According to the study, people who were experimented on and told to spend less hours on a smartphone reported higher life satisfaction and quality of life ranging from higher rates of exercise and lower rates of depression and anxiety.
The takeaway from this article is that not that smartphones are completely evil and bad for you. There is benefit from moderate use of smartphones throughout the day and if used well can exponentially increase productivity and efficiency. However overuse can lead into negative symptoms that we can all watch out for.
Full article is here!
What were your takeaways of this article? What are some pros and cons that you realize are associated with your smartphone?
#Smartphones #LifeQuality #SocialMedia
@sunnyWriting4806
Hiyaa Writing, thankyou for sharing this intriguing article on a topic I guess everyone would relate to in today's time, I feel specially after the lockdown ~ pandemic times, the screen time has definitely increased and also this dependency on phone, or more specifically social media to feel "connected". 🌞
But as the article said and you reflected too, I agree as well, there's both pros and cons here, and just like everything else under the sun (no pun intended lol) we should certainly be mindful of our phones/ screens/ other similar devices' usage.
A balance always is important, I feel, as overdoing anything is detrimental in more ways than one.
Thanks for inviting our thoughts on the same! Appreciate you! ❤
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou
Yes of course! Thanks for yet another encouraging and affirming comment! Smartphones have their great uses in making our lives a lot easier and more connected. But it's important to understand it's negatives too! Kind of like enjoying a cookie :) One cookie occasionally will make us happy and satisfy our sweet tooth, but too many cookies are not so great haha.
@sunnyWriting4806
Aw ofcourse! ❤️
Omigosh haha that's such an apt example lol --- so true xD
@sunnyWriting4806 I think limiting the time we spend on our phones is a great idea! Thank you for sharing this article!
@comfortableNight4463
Yes of course! All about moderation! I realized after reading this article there is so much unnecessary time that I spend on my phone.
phone Is important to me because I am deaf and can’t speak so without phone if is emergency I can’t tell people something wrong if I’m not with someone that knows sign and use FaceTime to call my family now I move BUT my parents do not like us be on phones a lot always make me and my brothers go outside a lot and when we sit around a lot they say go to beach or park or something. they say is not good to stare at screens all day. I think they are right because I like being outside better then when I am on phone to much it makes my eyes and head hurt sometimes
@theboymoana
Thanks for sharing! I think that's a great example of how phones are helping us experience and go throughout our daily lives. And I'm also glad that you're able to recognize that there are some negatives associated with prolonged phone use! It really is a curse and a blessing.
@sunnyWriting4806
yeah it is good in case emergencies and I like watch YouTube on it to sometimes but like to watch on my iPad better because is bigger but some times people get addicted to there phone that is what my daddy say and he teaches at a university sees lot of people on their phones all day
@sunnyWriting4806
One of the pros associated with my smartphone is that I can talk to my family and friends that live far from me. Another advantage is that I can use it as GPS and, to be honest, I would be lost without it. I also use it for educational purposes which is both good and bad because I learn new information but I spend too much time in front of a screen, whether it is my laptop or a mobile phone. I am also sleeping in the same room with my phone, so I think it also impacts my sleep quality.
I should definitely do a smartphone detox from time to time.
@globalBraid3744
I relate with the GPS part Haha! I totally need my phone to see where I'm going because if I didn't I'd probably be lost many times by now. Phone detox's are really helpful! It really helps train yourself to use your phone only when you need it and see it as an occasional thing rather than being on it 24/7.
