Recharge Your Brain By Ignoring Your Phone For A While

You may think it’s best to ignore your phone for a while. But for how long? An hour, half an hour, maybe just two minutes? Just try disconnecting from your phone to evaluate how much you depend on it. Like it or not, you live in a world where smartphones have become an extension of our bodies.

They are called smartphones because they can do great things to make life easier. But something psychologists have observed is that phones are becoming a replacement for intelligence.

People use the smartphones for things they should do themselves. They delegate tasks to their phone for comfort, speed and efficiency. Not so long ago, for example, almost everyone remembered the phone numbers of their friends, relatives and partners. We already find it difficult to remember our own number.

People lose some skills in orientation, as it were, because of the constant use of the GPS to get somewhere, without regard for the logic and spatial effort normally involved in such a task.

In addition, there is another phenomenon that is as interesting as it is alarming: smartphones make us less productive, motivated and take our energy from us. How? Let’s take a closer look at this.

Ignore your phone for your health

While you may not believe this, if you ignore your phone for a while, nothing will happen to you. The world really doesn’t stop. If someone calls or texts you, they won’t disappear because you don’t respond until a few hours later. Everything stays in place, everyone goes on with their lives and all your responsibilities will still be there.

But after you ‘disconnect’ yourself for a while, you will see a difference. You’ll even feel better, and that’s what you should aim for. As logical as this may seem, in reality this is often something difficult to do. In fact, it’s so hard that you tend to behave in ways that you don’t even realize.

The world has come to a point where, even in moments of inactivity and rest, people are still on their phones. During a work break, on the subway, waiting in line, in the cinema before the movie starts…. Every spare second goes to staring at their phone.

However, the effects of using the phone constantly, even during rest periods, are harmful. The brain needs to disconnect every now and then . If you continue to stimulate them so intensely, you will not meet that need and the consequences will be noticeable. At least that’s what some interesting studies have shown.

Phones and mental burnout

Rutgers University in New Jersey conducted a study with a group of students. The researchers asked half of the group to rest for an hour before taking some tests. During this time, they were not allowed to use their phones.

However, the other group were allowed to use their phones while they rested. Following these guidelines and after the tests, the results were incredibly striking. Students who used their phones during recess made 22% more mistakes than those who didn’t.

In addition, the time it took to process and understand each question was nearly double the time for those who hadn’t used their phones.

This data showed something researchers already suspected: Electronic devices reduce focus and effectiveness to solve complex problems. Ignoring your phone for at least an hour can help restore your mental energy.

Ignoring your phone means freeing yourself

Something that the above study has shown is that people often underestimate the resources that their phone takes from them. Cell phones affect people’s mental flexibility and ability to stay focused, observe, react, move from one place to another, and even connect with others in a more humane way.

However, the answer to this problem is not using ‘less smart’ phones. Technology is amazing, and it should continue to evaluate as it has so far. It is incredibly useful and solves major problems in the world.

The key is to use it wisely. Something so extraordinary shouldn’t be harmful if you control it so it doesn’t affect your life.

Ignoring your phone for two or three hours or an entire afternoon won’t hurt. But being online constantly and in such an intense way is possible. It exhausts your brain and you lose your momentum, skills and even your well-being as a result.

You should be more aware of this because, as many experts point out, people are now creating emotional bonds with their phones. It is no longer a tool, but a friend that you do not want to leave at home. Think about this. disconnect. Charge yourself. Turn off your phone and start living!