The moment we wake up in the morning until our head finally hits our pillow, we are hit by a notice demanding attention.
Now, a new study from Amazon Kindle reveals how bad our screen habits are.
Research shows that the pressure to stay connected is unforgiving, with a quarter of Australia getting notifications until they fall asleep at 10:42pm.
These notifications are offered throughout the day from smartphones, smartwatches, laptops and tablets, so over half of us (56%) are often distracted and have a hard time focusing.
“Every time we receive a notification — whether it's a ping, vibration, or a visual alert — our brain recognizes it as something that needs immediate attention,” says neuroscientist. Dr. Mark Williams We will tell you news.com.au.
“This activates the cognitive control network and diverts the focus from what we're doing.”
Distracted, he explains, it takes 60 to 90 seconds to fully regain focus and become involved in the original task.
“This constant switching between tasks trains our brains to be in a state of high vigilance and reduces our ability to concentrate for long periods of time.
“The more you distract yourself, the more difficult it becomes to maintain a deep focus over time, which has a negative impact on efficiency and productivity.”
Notifications can contribute to fatigue
Frequent interruptions can lead to increased mental fatigue as the brain constantly changes between activities and leads to more mistakes.
Over time, this can sometimes feel drained at the end of the day, even though many people have not achieved it.
And it's not just the notification that deflects us. We are also actively looking for them.
Over three-quarters (78%) of Australia checks their devices every hour, expecting new notifications, up to 50 notifications.
Williams says this is similar to addictive behavior.
“Notifications can trigger a release of dopamine, leading to forced cell phone checks in anticipation of new notifications.”
These addictive notifications affect our focus and focus, making 86% of Australians feel stressed by evening.
And our nights aren't without interruptions either. Almost half of survey participants said they were distracted by incoming call notifications at night.
Once we go to bed, over half (69%) admit that they fall asleep because they checked their devices for notifications.
How to fight this
A simple way to deal with this is to turn off notifications and create a distraction-free environment, says Williams.
You can also try turning off your device completely before bedtime.
“Activities like reading engage the brain, improve focus and reduce reliance on rapid digital stimuli,” he explains. “Kindle is especially useful in this, providing an immersive reading experience without interruption to pop-ups and social media alerts.”
Setting technical boundaries during the day
As for what you can do during the day to help manage certain notifications, Williams advises people to turn off mandatory notifications and alerts for apps that don't require immediate attention.
He also suggests using the “do not disturb” mode to prevent notifications from reaching you during work hours or before bedtime.
Keeping your device invisible has proven less distracting, so if you don't plan on using it, it's best to keep it in a drawer or another room.
Finally, he suggests setting a specific check-in time, so instead of responding instantly to all pings, he allocates a specific time to check messages and emails.
What if FOMO is worried?
The horror of Missing Aut (FOMO) is real. Williams says it's essential to remember that constantly checking social media actually makes us feel less connected, especially if you're trying to cut screen time.
“Social interaction in the real world is much more fulfilling than passive scrolling,” he reminds us.
“If you want to cut down on your screen time but don't want to lose contact with friends, try catching up coffee or calling instead.”
He also suggests using a built-in screen time tracker on your mobile phone. This allows you to use your social media app for a limited period of time and keep you connected without falling into a scroll trap.
Research is coming beyond that Global plug dayIt takes place from sunset on March 7th to sunset on March 8th, encouraging people around the world to go to technology 24 hours a day.
