From the moment we wake up in the morning until our heads finally hit the pillow, we are bombed with announcements looking for our attention – leading Aussies to admit that they often feel confused and stressed by the end of the day.
Now, a new study by Amazon Kindle has found how heavy our screen habits are, showing that we are more dependent on our devices than we can think.
The pressure to stay connected is ruthless, with a quarter of Aussies receiving notifications until they go to sleep in 10:42 in the afternoon, according to research.
These announcements come from smartphones, smartwatches, laptops and tablets throughout the day, resulting in over half (56 percent) of us that we often feel distracted and struggling to concentrate.
“Every time we get a notice – whether it is ping, vibration, or visual alarm – our brain perceives it as something that requires immediate attention,” says neuroscientist Dr. Mark Williams.com.au.
“This activates our cognitive control network, deviating concentration away from what we were doing.”
After being distracted, he explains, it should be around 60 to 90 seconds to completely recover the focus and engage with the original task.
â € œ This constant change between tasks train our brains to be in a state of high alarm, reducing our ability to focus for prolonged periods.
“The more often we are distracted, the harder it is to maintain a deep focus over time, which adversely affects our efficiency and productivity.
Notifications may contribute to fatigue
Frequent interruptions can also lead to increased mental fatigue, as the brain tires from constantly shifting between activities, resulting in more errors.
Over time, this can let many people feel drained at the end of the day, despite not getting much.
And it’s not just announcements that are distracting us – we also actively search for them.
More than three -quarters (78 percent) of Aussies control their equipment every hour, hoping for a new announcement, with some doing so up to 50 times.
Williams says this resembles dependent behavior.
â € œ The outings can cause a dopamine release, leading to mandatory control of phones pending a new notice.â €
These addictive announcements affect our focus and focus, making 86 percent of Aussies feel stressed by the evening.
And our evenings are not even without interruption, with almost half of the study participants saying that they are still confused by entry notifications at night.
Once we are in bed, over half (69 percent) agrees to fall asleep later than it was intended due to control of notifications.
How to fight this
A direct way to fight this is by turning off the notifications and creating environments without distraction, says Williams.
You can also try to turn off your equipment completely for an hour before bed.
â € œActivies like reading engage the brain, improving concentration, and reducing confidence in rapid digital stimulation, “he explains.” A kindle is particularly useful for this, providing a comprehensive reading experience without interruption or social media alarms.â €
Setting up technology boundaries during the day
In terms of what you can do during the day to help manage continuous announcements, Williams advise people to turn off notifications and non -essential notifications for applications that do not require immediate attention.
It also suggests using the way â € ˜ no non -worrying to prevent notifications from reaching you during working hours or before bed.
Holding equipment from the vision has also proven to be less attractive, so it recommends to leave them in a drawer or another room when you are not planning to use them.
Finally, he suggests setting specific control times, so instead of responding to each ping immediately, to share certain times to check messages and email.
What if you worry about Fomo?
Fear of losing (Fomo) is true, especially if you are trying to reduce your screen time, but Williams says it is essential to remember that constant control of social media will not make us more connected – often does the opposite.
The accompanying interactions in the real world are much more fulfilled than the passive movement, “He reminds us.
“If you are going to seek to cut your screen time but do not want to lose contact with friends, try setting coffee or phone calls in the country .â €
It also suggests using integrated screen tracers on your phone, which allow you to use social media applications for limited periods, helping you stay connected without falling into the trap of movement.
Research comes before the global day of secession, which takes place from sunset on March 7 to sunset on March 8 and encourages people around the world to go without technology for a full 24 hours.
#dependent #phone #repeat #ordinary #habit #study #reveals
Image Source : nypost.com