Taking time away from our phones can help reset our minds.
When we think of digital detoxes, people might imagine a luxurious retreat with yoga classes and endless smoothie bowls. However, it can be as straightforward as turning off your phone for an hour in the evening during your digital detox.
Wellness experts advocate this practice for mental health, but what impact does it have on our brains?
How does screen time affect our brain chemistry?
Regular phone use, mainly social media scrolling, increases dopamine release in the brain, which a digital detox could help reset.
Rachael Mackenzie, a neurological physio, says screen content can alter dopamine response, affecting impulse and emotion control. Furthermore, the efficiency of our devices, providing instant access to information, may also impact our cognitive abilities.
Mackenzie adds, “The reliance on our phones diminishes our capacity to find pleasure in tasks that demand concentration, mindfulness, or attention focus. It eliminates our need to store and retrieve information for ourselves, thus potentially negating the development of the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center,” something a digital detox could improve.
Remember: “If you feel tense while endlessly scrolling through harmful content, your fight-or-flight response may have been triggered.”
This impact could be even more significant for children, as their brains are still developing. Mackenzie emphasizes, “Our daily activities shape the architecture of our brains. Screen exposure can greatly influence children’s brains, and a digital detox can be more beneficial.
Could a digital detox help?
Mackenzie strongly recommends digital detoxes for her clients, noting that they effectively reset our brains and minds.
Taking breaks from social media helps with mindfulness and regulates the nervous system to avoid fight or flight mode.
Engaging in other activities, such as mindfulness or exercise, could amplify the benefits during a digital detox.
Mackenzie advises, “The key to a successful disengagement (the detox) lies in actively seeking tasks that establish positive habits during your digital detox.”
Switching off our smartphones could also lead to a noticeable improvement in work productivity.
Mackenzie highlights, “When we are constantly tethered to our phones, our performance across a range of cognitive measures dwindles. Removing that distraction during a digital detox can significantly enhance our focus and the quality of our work.”
