To all those who sometimes enjoy people-watching…do you ever recognize that the majority of those around you are staring at their phones, despite being outside on a beautiful day?
The idea of staring at a technological device instead of leaves changing in the fall might seem ludicrous, yet the reason behind such an action is actually quite simple.
According to a study by Business Insider, Dopamine, the pleasure chemical in our brain, is released when we check our phones. This occurs because when we check our mobile devices, we may come across new or exciting information while simultaneously receiving a message from another human being, reminding us that someone in the world cares about us and wants to converse with us. Therefore, it’s not surprising that we all constantly want to check our phones to feel the sense of pleasure derived from doing so.
The study also explores how the cause of excessive cell-phone usage is not simply psychological but instead physiological, meaning, brains are more receptive to Dopamine released while multi-tasking. Therefore, it is understandable why we humans have such difficulty releasing our attention from cellular devices and instead choosing to focus on the world around us.
It has definitely been established that our obsession with our cellphones is legitimate. So, the question that now remains is how we can avoid using our cellphones and solve our technological attachment dilemma for good.
A common trend that has made a substantial difference in cell-phone dependency is the “cellphone meal stack.” Friends eating at a restaurant decide to stack their phones together at the beginning of their meal with the knowledge that if someone picks up his or her phone then that person must pick up the check for everyone. Such an arrangement definitely dissuades anyone at the meal from checking their phones and forces each person to instead focus on the surrounding company.
Another idea to help more people refrain from constant cellphone use is to create “tech times,” meaning, designated breaks when cellphone or technology use is permissible. This technological coordination will help more people understand the concept of appropriate and improper times to use technology.
Whatever your solution may be, it is important to recognize that mankind’s obsession with technology is ever developing and that we must all make an effort to choose the real world over the virtual.