"A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention," —Herbert Simon
I have a confession: I'm terrified of frogs. When I see one unexpectedly, I get the same fear I'd have if someone broke into my home while I was sound asleep or if a stranger put a gun to my head. I realize it's irrational, but it's a lifelong thing that I can't do much about. I've been mocked for it — friends and cousins used to throw them at me, and my late grandmother even went through a phase of buying me frog-themed trinkets — and as someone who spends a lot of time swimming and gardening, it can make life difficult at times.
So, on Saturday afternoon, after spending a day cleaning, I decided I'd go jump in my pool to cool off, but that didn't go exactly as planned. Upon my arrival, I could see a big, nasty frog just sitting on the floor in the center of the pool. He'd have to go before I set foot in that water. Unfortunately, the pole on my net isn't long enough to reach the center of the deep end of the pool, and I'm pretty sure the frog figured that out because that's exactly where he stayed. Determined to swim that evening, I leaned in as far as I could to try to get him, when I heard a loud plop.
After jumping about a mile, thinking another frog had entered the watery arena, I looked down and realized it was no frog at all. It was my iPhone that had been in my shorts pocket. I'd leaned over so far that it had fallen out, and now it was sitting on the bottom of the deep end of the pool.
My iPhone is older, cracked, and has no waterproof case. I am not someone who replaces them constantly — as long as it works, it's fine. That particular phone has been with me in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and countless swimming pools. Yet this stupid frog in my own pool is what finally led to its demise (well, the verdict is still out on whether it's dead or not — I'm currently drying it out for a few days to be sure, but I don't have high hopes).
That said, I've spent the last 40 or so hours without a phone, and I have to say I don't hate it. There have been some inconveniences, sure. I'd just downloaded lots of workout music from iTunes, and I couldn't access it on Sunday when I finally did get to swim and work out in the pool. I tried downloading iTunes to my laptop, but you need access to your phone number for that. I also need access to my phone number to get into several of my financial apps, but thankfully, I have a couple of days until that becomes a major issue.
It's been nice not being available to the world 24/7. The important people in my life know how to get in touch with me via other forms of communication. It's also kind of nice not having access to the entire world 24/7. No looking up every thought that pops into my head, and no mindlessly scrolling the news or social media unless I was at my computer — heck, I didn't even know what time it was for most of the day or what the weather forecast was for the next few hours. I just... lived in the moment.
I was also surprised by how much I got accomplished even though it was technically my day off. I cooked a decent meal last night. I read 160 pages in a book. I planned out several articles to work on this week. I did a real workout for the first time in months. I even finally got that stupid frog out of the pool. I also came to the conclusion that our brains aren't wired to be connected to, well, everything 24/7.
A 2023 study showed that teenagers and pre-teens can receive anywhere from 237 to 5,000 smartphone notifications per day. Many of those come while the kids are in school or sleeping. Adults, particularly millennials and Gen Z, don't receive quite as many, but on average, we get a notification every 10 minutes. Data from 2023 also shows that adults check their phones 144 times per day. 80% say they check their phones within 10 minutes of waking up, while 60% sleep with their phone at night. 75% say they'd be uncomfortable leaving their phones at home if they went somewhere, and 55% say they'd be uncomfortable being without their phones for 24 hours. Just under 60% admit that they're addicted to their phones.
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Unfortunately, it all starts at such a young age. I've written a few articles over the summer about how kids aren't playing, they're not spending time outside, and their parents aren't reading to them anymore. Smartphones and other devices are largely to blame, but it seems to go much deeper. A friend of mine who works in an elementary school posted something on Facebook recently about how kids are coming to school underprepared more than ever. Kindergarteners and first graders don't know how to do basic things like eat with silverware, wipe after using the bathroom, sing the alphabet song, or tell other people their full names. It's like they have no adult interaction at all, and I'd venture to guess it's because many of these parents are glued to their phones rather than spending time with their children.
Other data, studies, and research have proven that this kind of access to information is essentially rotting our brains. A study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research found that just having your phone in your presence can lead to "brain drain."
Our smartphones enable—and encourage—constant connection to information, entertainment, and each other. They put the world at our fingertips, and rarely leave our sides. Although these devices have immense potential to improve welfare, their persistent presence may come at a cognitive cost. In this research, we test the 'brain drain' hypothesis that the mere presence of one’s own smartphone may occupy limited-capacity cognitive resources, thereby leaving fewer resources available for other tasks and undercutting cognitive performance. Results from two experiments indicate that even when people are successful at maintaining sustained attention — as when avoiding the temptation to check their phones — the mere presence of these devices reduces available cognitive capacity. Moreover, these cognitive costs are highest for those highest in smartphone dependence. We conclude by discussing the practical implications of this smartphone-induced brain drain for consumer decision-making and consumer welfare.
In addition to making you less productive, studies have found that simply having your phone in your bedroom can lead to poor sleep quality, and late-night phone use can actually delay falling asleep.
They can also have a major impact on your mental health. People who are addicted to their phones tend to panic or feel irritable when they're away from them. They also tend to lose interest in other activities. I can vouch for that — I love to read, but more often than not lately, I find myself scrolling before bed instead of picking up a book. Reading 160 pages yesterday was a huge change in my recent behavior.
Smartphones can lead to anxiety and depression for various reasons. They also impact your relationships in various ways. How many times have you been with someone in person who can't stay off their phone? It's irritating. How many times has someone abused the fact that they can get in touch with you 24/7? It's overwhelming. Chris Rock does a great bit on this, implying that his 16-year marriage in the smartphone era was longer than his parents' 40-year marriage without constant communication.
There is even a condition called phantom vibration syndrome, which causes you to think your phone is vibrating when it's not. It affects many people and can lead to anxiety, psychological stress, emotional disturbances, and worsening mental health. It seems especially prevalent in college students.
I won't bore you with more stats and research — though there's plenty of it going around — but essentially, our brains just aren't wired for this. We're not meant to forego real human connection or give up physical activities to stare at a tiny screen all day. We're not meant to be in constant contact with others or even the world. We're not meant to know what's going on in every city, every state, or every country 24/7.
Even as someone who works in the news business and enjoys covering a lot of world events, there are days when I have to step away from it all. Unfortunately, I often find myself on my phone anyway, but the last 40 hours have taught me that I can do better. And I guess I have a stupid frog to thank for that lesson.