The Cost of Constant Connection
In this era of relentless connectivity, taking an exit ramp from our digital lives has never looked more inviting. In fact, merging science is now confirming what many of us feel: Smartphones are draining our cognitive reserves, shattering our focus, and keeping us in a state of low-level chronic anxiety.
To see if there’s a better way, reporter Courtney Lindwall shelved her iPhone for a $45 Nokia flip phone. Courtney is on the show today to discuss the “dumb phone” movement, the logistical friction of navigating an app-dependent world, and why research says our brains are so desperate for a break.
Here’s a preview:
[7:00] Continuous partial attention, instinctual muscle memory, and other ways in which our smartphones are working against us
[9:00] Gray scale? screen limits? Here’s why the tools and tricks don’t work for the vast majority of us
[14:00] Thoughts on our emotional attachments to our phones—and the emotional experiences they provide
[22:00] The psychological benefits of embracing a bit more “friction”
[33:00] Our brains are malleable, and we get used to a new normal quite quickly. Lean into that!
Resources mentioned:
- How an old-school flip phone changed my life (via Consumer Reports)
- This detox may erase 10 years of social media brain damage, researchers say (via The Washington Post)
- The Brick phone access blocker device
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