If you find yourself glued to your smartphone too often, it helps to have liberation strategies, like going for a walk for example. — Photo: Benjamin Nolte/dpa
BERLIN: Are you struggling to ignore your phone? Once we react to its vibrations and signals, our attention jumps and it becomes difficult to refocus our thoughts on the task we were distracted from. Conscious smartphone use needs some practice, but will ultimately help you to regain focus and reduce stress, experts say.
All it takes is an idle moment and – bam! We reach for our smartphone. This wonderful, go-to gadget not only takes up our time though, it also saps our concentration and attentiveness.
How exactly? And how do we regain our focus?
Questions like these about smartphone use are the domain of Dr Martin Korte, professor of cellular neurobiology and director of the Zoological Institute at the Braunschweig University of Technology in Germany. He has also authored a book on how we can "free ourselves from digital sensory overload."
"We put our brain permanently on alert by always reacting to vibrations and signals," Korte says, adding that while this doesn't diminish our overall ability to concentrate, it divides our attention.
"The brain's capacities are limited," says psychologist Franziska Weiss, a research assistant at Germany's Dresden University of Technology. Early in the perception process, it selects which stimuli to further deal with - often the "ping" of our smartphone.
Our attention jumps, and we lose the ability to complete a task without interruption.
"Once we've been distracted, we then usually check the news on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, or TikTok videos," Korte says. "Everything's designed in such a way that you always look at the next notification."
The consequence is that smartphone users need, on average, about 9.5 minutes to refocus their thoughts on the task they were distracted from. "So you lose a lot of time before you're able to work with top effectiveness again," Korte notes.
If you constantly check your smartphone while you're doing something, you also increase the chances of making an error or having an accident. "Using your smartphone when you're running or driving slows your reaction time," which can be dangerous, says Weiss.
Smartphones, according to Korte, are more of a distraction than a radio playing in the background, phone calls or conversations: "Compared with other activities, smartphone use siphons off more of our cognitive resources."
And you don't even have to be actively using the device. "Research has shown that the mere presence of a smartphone in the room can affect our working memory," says Weiss, referring to what's more commonly called short-term memory.
"Some of our nerve cells are apparently detailed to resist the impulse to switch on the smartphone," Korte explains.
When does smartphone use become a serious problem? An addiction to social networks, or to your smartphone, isn't a recognized mental illness. "A clear criterion allowing us to measure excessive smartphone use hasn't been found yet," points out Weiss.
This is because the adverse effects of smartphone use don't depend only on usage duration, but also on the content that's consumed. "Some smartphone features have more addiction potential than others," says Weiss, singling out social networks and computer games in contrast to simply reading news items.
Inordinate attachment to your smartphone is a red flag. "Problematic are failed attempts to reduce use, disruptions to your daily life and use in risky situations," Weiss says.
So screen time should be limited – particularly for children. "You don't have to forbid (smartphone use) – kids ought to gain experience," Korte says. "But it's important that they have time for other things too."
Weiss agrees: "The smartphone shouldn't displace time spent playing sports or being with friends."
Too much screen time also has a negative effect on brain development. "Significant connections have been found between problematic use and behavioural abnormalities," says Weiss, for example hyperactivity and difficulty associating with peers.
"Children of primary school age who spend several hours a day in front of a screen show retarded development in language areas [of the brain]. They speak and understand fewer different words," Korte says.
Parents should therefore establish screen-free times, for instance by banning the use of digital media during meals. And parents need to set a good example.
How can adults limit their smartphone use? Both Korte and Weiss recommend judicious use, not abstinence. "Humans are creatures of habit, so it'll take some time to change. You've got to persevere," Weiss says.
Korte advises drawing a sharper boundary between online and offline time. "This means spending your online time consciously, mindfully and attentively," and allowing for several hours offline every day.
If you find yourself glued to your smartphone nonetheless, it helps to have liberation strategies. "In situations when you want to stop, but can't, you need a ritual," says Weiss, and suggests taking a walk or getting in a round of exercise, for example.
"This helps to regulate stress, which you may have been using your smartphone for."
Total abstinence is hardly practicable – or desirable – nowadays. "The online world is just as important as the offline one," says Korte. "It's just bad to mix the two." – dpa
