If you feel that your mobile absorbs you too much, you are not just in that situation. The Half users of smartphones in the United States, and a 80 % of children under 30 yearss, they admit that they are worried about using their devices too much. And it is logical: the perception of modern mobiles as harmless belongs to the past (not so distant, we have not yet reached the two decades of generalized use of these devices), and for years the studies that warn of how Excessive use affects the brain and mood of people. There are not so many on the beneficial effects of stop using them, and that is the approach of a recent study by a team of scientists from five universities in the United States and Canada (Texas, Georgetown, Boston, Alberta and Vancouver).
The researchers decided to find out What happens to us if we live without smartphones with a one -month controlled experiment. They had the participation of 467 iPhone users in the United States and Canadamost of them motivated to reduce the use of their phone. The approach was simple: They blocked all mobile internet access (both wifi and mobile data) of the participants’ smartphones For two weeks. To do this, they used an application called Freedom that, in addition, it recorded if the blockade was active, guaranteeing the reliability of the data.
It was not raised as a total disconnection of the mobile and the Internet, but to return to what was normal in the first decade of this century. Participants could still use them to calls and SMS And they were also allowed access the Internet from other devicesas computers, to specifically isolate the impact of the constant connection through the mobile.
The participants were divided in two groups: One that was immediately disconnected during the first two weeks and another that acted as a control group and disconnected in the second two weeks. This could be compared before and after and observe if the benefits were maintained after the intervention.
The improvements discovered with only 2 weeks of internet disconnection on the mobile
The results offer direct evidence of how disconnection positively impacts our lives in several aspects:
- Greater general well -being: Participants reported a significant improvement in their subjective well -being, feeling more satisfied with their life and experiencing more positive emotions.
- Best Mental Health: Important improvements in mental health were observed, including a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety. To put it in perspective, The effect on depression symptoms was even greater than the average effect of antidepressants and similar to that of cognitive-behavioral therapy, although the authors warn that these comparisons should be taken cautiously due to the differences between studies.
- Nitidal attention: The ability to maintain attention, objectively measured in a task, improved remarkably. The researchers point out that This improvement in attention is equivalent to rejuvenating the brain a decade.
- Best mood: Participants experienced a progressive improvement in their mood throughout the process.
Why these benefits occur
The study indicates that, not having the smartphone available as such, People started spending more time in the offline worldtraditionally known as the real: socializing in person, exercising, enjoying nature and dedicating himself to hobbies. They also reduced their consumption of media in general, felt more socially connected, improved their self -control and, curiously, they also slept more hours.
All these changes contributed to their Best mood and mental health. However, the Improvement in attention It seemed to happen by a different route, not explained by these factors, perhaps by a more direct reduction in constant distractions.
Almost all participants (90.7 %) experienced improvements in at least one of those three key aspects. Who benefited the most They were those who, at the beginning, had a greater ‘fear of getting lost’ (Fomo) and those who reported more ADHD symptomswhich suggests that disconnection is especially effective for those who feel more hooked on the mobile.
The authors of the investigation indicate some considerations. For example, participants knew that they were in a study on mobile, which could have influenced their answers, although objective measurements were used to minimize this. In addition, most of them were already motivated to reduce their use and those who completed the study had slightly better mental health and initial attention, which means that the results may not be exactly the same for the entire population. Although it was difficult for many to maintain the complete blockade during the two weeks (only 25.5 % did it to the letter), the benefits were even observed in those that did not fulfill perfectly, suggesting that just by reducing the constant connection, improvements are already achieved.
Researchers believe that future studies could explore more specific blockages, as with certain applications or at certain times of the daywhich could be easier to maintain for people and perhaps even more effective. In any case, illustrates the cost of excessive use of smartphones and The quickly generates benefits decrease its use.