If you’re feeling jittery and completely hooked to your gadgets, maybe it’s time for a digital detox. But you don’t need to go cold turkey – even one day a week has been shown to have incredible benefits for the mind and body.
Click start to play today’s Spell It, where we learn that occasionally ‘unplugging’ from our devices has huge benefits.
In her 2019 book 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tiffany Shlain found that a short digital detox can help you become more productive at work, and allow you to build deeper connections with family and friends. By practicing the habit for nearly a decade with her husband and kids, Shlain said it completely changed their lives.
Here are a few incredible benefits of unplugging once a week, backed by science:
1. It improves productivity
Too busy to take one full day off? A 2014 study from US-based Stanford University found that working fewer hours can actually increase productivity. In fact, productivity decreases when you work over 50 hours per week. The study found that companies offering 32-hour work weeks or six-hour work days reported both a rise in productivity and employee satisfaction.
2. It improves focus
An April 2017 study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research found that just having your phone nearby – even if it’s switched off – can adversely impact your concentration. Screens were also found to distract everyone in the room, even people who weren’t using them.
3. It helps you sleep better
It’s well known now that the blue light from screens sends signals to our brains to stay alert, and is detrimental to our sleep. Several studies show that you should stay off your phone and laptop for an hour or so before bed, to ensure you get decent sleep.
4. It has a positive impact on relationships
Besides the obvious bonus – more time available in the day to spend with family and friends – unplugging from screens has been shown to make people more empathetic. An August 2010 study in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Review found that college students today are an astounding 40 per cent less empathetic than they were 10 years ago, with the most dramatic decline happening after the release of the smartphone.
5. It rewires your brain
Perhaps most importantly, unplugging once a week helps break the pattern we’ve developed of constantly checking our phones. A January 2012 study in the online journal PLOS One found that technology can be just as addictive as narcotics, and works in similar ways. Researchers found via brain scans that screen time activated the same neural loops that narcotics do.
Would you be comfortable with switching off all your gadgets once a week? Or is it too difficult a challenge? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
