If you spend a lot of time using your smartphone, scientists have a list of 10 solutions that can help you reduce the duration of use.
Experts at McGill University in Canada say small, effective changes can help reduce smartphone addiction and mental health problems like depression.
Experts reported that people who followed the techniques in the experiments reduced their duration of use, became less dependent on their phones, and improved the quality of their sleep.
Ten techniques include: changing the phone screen to “grayscale” so that the screen appears black and white, and disabling facial recognition as a way to unlock the screen.
The black and white screen makes viewing on smartphones less enjoyable compared to the bright colors offered by the app icons.
Another effective way is to use a computer instead of a smartphone to connect to the internet, and keep the phone out of the room so we don’t have it when we go to sleep.
The authors of the study warn that “problematic smartphone use” has increased worldwide over the past decade.
In their article published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, they said: “Combining different behavioral strategies can be a practical and effective intervention to reduce smartphone use. Our findings could be useful for phone manufacturers and app developers interested in improving digital well. -being. ”
The researchers undertook a previous task to compile a list of 10 simple techniques called ‘nudges’. Some techniques are settings that can be enabled for iOS and Android, while others relate to our physical interactions with our devices.
The team ranked the 10 strategies as the easiest and most likely to be effective near the top point.
It includes a trick: Reduce unnecessary notifications which can reduce stress, according to previous research.
Although ten strategies have been described in previous studies, McGill University researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of each for themselves.
They recruited more than 100 participants to follow a strategy for two weeks.
At baseline, each participant reported their level of smartphone use, competence, and cognition. These data were compared in a follow-up analysis shortly after the end of the two-week period.
The results showed a reduction in “smartphone use issues”, duration of use, and depressive symptoms, as well as improved sleep quality.
“Most respondents spend four to five hours a day on their phones,” said lead author Jay Olson, a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University. – one week of work per month. ”
Experts found that participants often reported spending this extra free time studying, entertaining or socializing.
In terms of staying with their chosen approach, participants were more likely to comply with reduced notifications, but more likely to keep their screens grayscale or leave their phones at home.
Earlier this year, experts at McGill University used global smartphone usage data from nearly 34,000 respondents to see which country was the worst.
They found that China, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia had the highest smartphone usage rates, while Germany and France had the lowest.
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Arabic RT
