Disconnecting From The Phone For A Few Hours Helps The Brain Recharge

It is possible for each of us to disconnect from the phone and forget about it. But for how long? Maybe an hour, half an hour, two minutes? This is a test we should all take at some point to assess our own dependency on the phone. Like it or not, smartphones have become an extension of our body without which it is very difficult to get by.

We call them smartphones because, as we know, they are capable of performing quite exceptional functions that make our lives easier. But in the field of psychology, it has been observed today that our phones have become a wildcard, as a substitute for our own intelligence. We move the phone to perform functions that we should perform ourselves, because phones make everything more comfortable, faster, and more efficient.

It hasn’t been very long since many of us still memorized the phone numbers of our friends, family, boyfriends and girlfriends. Today, we hardly even remember our own. In addition, one thing we have noticed is how we are losing certain orienteering abilities. We use the GPS locator almost anywhere and in any way, forgetting the logical and spatial effort we need to direct to a particular location.

We could say, completely without error, that we have reached the point where we no longer control our mobile devices; the device itself is taking over many of our capabilities.

In addition, there is another, just as interesting and at the same time alarming phenomenon. Smartphones reduce our performance, energy and motivation. In what way? We will take a closer look at the subject next.

Disconnecting from the phone for a few hours for health reasons

Even if we don’t believe it, it’s not that serious. The world will not stop. If someone calls or writes to us, he or she won’t break down if he gets our response a few hours later. Everything stays in place, each person in his or her own place and every duty on his or her horizon. What changes after a moment of disconnection from the phone is ourselves, for we feel much better when we forget the phone for a moment. This is the key.

However, as logical as this reasoning may seem to us, the truth is that it is very difficult for us to disconnect from the phone. And this has become so difficult that we have begun to behave in a way that we are not always even aware of. Namely, we have reached the point where, even in times of rest and inactivity, we are dependent on a mobile phone. At work on a break, when we travel on the subway, we stand in line, waiting for the movie to start in the cinema… Every moment is a good moment to take a look at the phone.

The effects of using the phone, even at rest, are harmful. The brain has to detach itself from the moment at certain intervals, but if we provide it with as strong stimuli as our mobile devices provide, such a need will not be met. And its consequences are considerable. Or at least according to what the following interesting research has shown us.

Mental exhaustion and cell phones

A related study was commissioned from Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, with the participation of a large group of university students. In the study, more than 400 students completed a series of psychotechnical exercises that were relatively demanding in level. Half of the students were asked to rest an hour before the test. During that rest period, they could not use the telephone.

The other half, on the other hand, was allowed to use the phone during the rest period. Following these instructions and after performing the test, the results were very striking. Those students who used a cell phone during the break made 22% more errors in the test than the group that did not use a cell phone during the break.

In addition, the time spent by the group that used the phone during the break to deal with and understand psychotechnical issues was almost double that of the other group. These results showed something that researchers had already envisioned: electronic devices reduce our attention span and efficiency in solving complex problems. In addition, the study showed that disconnecting from the phone for at least an hour allows us to restore our mental energy.

Disconnection from authorizations and phone for a few hours

What the above research shows us is that we underestimate the resources consumed by the phone. And by this we do not mean electrical energy to charge the phone battery, but our own energy, our cognitive charge, our mental flexibility, our ability to focus our attention, observe, react, navigate the city and why not, to connect with other people in a closer and more human way.

However, the answer to this problem is not that we would start using “stupider” phones. Technology has every right to be more professional, more advanced and more sophisticated. All of this comes back in many ways back to ourselves, it’s even promising and inspiring. The key lies in using these resources. Something exceptional doesn’t have to be harmful if we have more power over these devices.

Disconnecting from the phone for two or three hours or even for the whole afternoon is not a disadvantage. On the contrary, being in constant and intense contact is harmful. Our brains hurt and tire them, our buoyancy, skills and even our well-being decrease. This is something we should be more aware of, because as many experts have pointed out, we have reached a point where we have already established an emotional bond with our phone. It’s no longer a resource, it’s a friend we can’t forget at home.

Let’s consider this. Let’s disconnect from the phone to charge and turn it off to live.