Please Put Your Phone Down
In March 2017 I did a talk on the impact of mobile phones on our attention. Eight years later, I still think the lessons apply.
Assumptions
First, I think it's important to state some of my basic assumptions:
I love my Apple Iphone, but I treat it with a wary respect
I personally believe that your attention is a finite resource and what you focus on will actually define the person that you are (or are not)
If you don't make conscious choices about what you are doing with your life it will be less rewarding
If you are constantly distracting yourself your are probably avoiding something more fundamental in your psyche
If I am presented with a message, political viewpoint or product on the internet I always ask my self "Whose interest does it serve if I accept that interpretation of the world?"
As a coach, I spend my time understanding what my clients are worried or concerned about, and have learnt that where they focus their attention has significant impact on their mental well being and workplace performance. Smartphones gives us unlimited possibilities for entertainment and distraction, and that can be a significant challenge if your attention is limited. If you do not pay attention to your Smartphone use then you are in danger of becoming disconnected from your essential self.
Smartphones and social media apps encourage us to present an idealised, manicured and curated self on the internet. Apps and sites bombard us with digital messages about who or what we should be. That can often lead us to draw incorrect conclusions about our lives. If you absorb these messages without thinking it can lead you to create false selves and damage your own sense of identity.
The Research
My views are backed up by research. The use of Smartphones is a having a fundamental impact on our cognition and your ability to engage with yourself and others. A 2015 University of Lincoln research project found that young adults use their phones up to 5 hours a day.
And under report it.
Underreporting is a polite academic ways of saying that they are lying to themselves - I wonder what using a phone for almost a third of their waking hours is having on their lives?
Microsoft Canada, in their 2015 Customer Insights report noted:
“Overall, digital lifestyles deplete the ability to remain focused on a single task, particularly in non-digital environments.
“Addictive technology behaviours are evident, particularly for younger Canadians”
Let me be clear, Smartphones are designed to make you use them and the software is designed to give you a dopamine reward.
Combined, phone and software, create an attention sink - sucking you in.
Self Soothing
Constant unthinking smartphone use can often be a form of self soothing behaviour. Self-soothing behaviour is when you distract yourself so that you feel better. You could be feeling anxious, sad, bored, frustrated,angry or obsessed with a particular thought. You reach for the Smartphone to feel better. It breaks that pattern and you get a dopamine reward for looking at cat pictures.
There’s nothing wrong with distracting yourself occasionally. The danger comes when you reach for the Smartphone whenever you feel any negative mood or thought pattern. I’m not saying that we don’t need a respite from negative emotions and thoughts, but we should be very wary of doing it all a time. I think these addictive patterns make our lives that little bit smaller and my worry is that this constant use, the constant search for distraction and relief, can be evidence of a more fundamental avoidance tactic.
Conclusion
Enjoy your Smartphone but treat its power to distract and soothe with respect. If you feel yourself compulsively reaching for it to distract yourself, try these approaches:
Pay attention to what is going on in your head. What are you avoiding?
Face up to the occasional bad thought - it won’t kill you. You might learn something interesting about yourself or the situation you find yourself in if you can tolerate the discomfort for a few seconds.
Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly
Go outside.
Talk to a real human being about what you are worried about. Get it out of your head and share it with a friend.
