So how would it be to return to the time? No social media scrolling, no mobile shopping, no streaming or media emissions on your phone?
The researchers measured three different results of well-being, mood and attention at the start, in the middle and the end of the four-week study. While 91% of the participants improved their scores in at least one category, 71% reported better mental health after the break, compared before, and 73% reported better subjective well-being.
Participants fulfilled an investigation often used by doctors to assess the symptoms of depression and anxiety. He includes questions such as: How often last week did you feel little interest or pleasure in doing things that you generally appreciate? The participants’ responses highlighted a significant mood elevator.
One of the surprising conclusions is that the decrease in depressive symptoms was peer – or even more than – documented reductions in the studies of people taking antidepressant drugs.
“The size of these effects is greater than what we plan,” explains the first author of the study, Noah Castelo, assistant professor at the University of Alberta in Canada.
Of course, for some people, drugs and / or speech therapy are essential to manage mental health, and researchers do not suggest that less internet time replaces this type of care.
An internet break on their phone has also improved the duration of attention of the participants, who was measured by a computer task. They have followed images that alternate between mountain scenes and cities. Previous research has shown that performances tend to fall as people age, but to the surprise of researchers, after the break on the Internet, there was a significant boost in the scores. “The effects on attention were about as important as if the participants had become 10 years less,” said Castelo.
We do not know how sustainable the online effect is, but this study validates which was found in observational studies. “This is one of the first experiences that provides causal evidence that reducing time spent on your phone presents all these important advantages,” said Castelo.
When participants agreed to block the internet on their phones, they were authorized to continue using laptops or ipads at work or at home, and they could also continue to use their phones to speak or send SMS. Thus, the researchers did not know if the participants exchanged phones for another form of screen time.
But, in the end, the rupture of the habit of scrolling through their phones led to significant changes in the way they spent their time. And, interesting, every day, the break has increased, the advantages have increased, almost like a positive feedback loop.
“It’s not that you stop using the Internet and as if by magic, you feel better,” says Ward. What happened is that people spent more time engaging in healthy behaviors.
“People have reported that they had spent more time in nature, more time to socialize, more time to make hobbies,” he explains. They also slept more and felt more socially connected to other people.
“I am not surprised by the conclusions,” said Dr. Judith Joseph, psychiatrist at the New York University Langone Medical Center and author of High operation: overcome hidden depression and recover your joy. She says investigations show that most people don’t want to be attached to their devices.
“They know that their phones are a problem, but they just can’t stop,” she said. And she says that when they start to adopt behaviors such as those observed in the study – more exercise, time outside, good sleep, more social interactions – it is not surprising that they are starting to feel better.
“Helping people to recycle their brains to draw the joy of healthy activities has an antidepressant effect,” she says, so she says that the results pointing towards a decrease in the symptoms of depression and anxiety have a meaning.
“If (people) see this improvement in joy in such a short time, which gives us hope,” she said, adding that simple changes can be beneficial.
Try it: Tips to reduce your own use of smartphone
During the study, many participants had to break the rules, just to accomplish things that their jobs or their families have forced them to do, like lighting a card application to navigate the car or connect to a zoom meeting from their phone. It is a reminder of the dependence of our mobile devices.
It is almost impossible to go to the cold turkey, given the requirements of our society. So what if you want to try this? “If we expect to be accessible at all times, how can we simply decide that we are going to disconnect?” Request Ward. It is a societal struggle.
