In this era, where Americans spend nearly five hours a day sticking to their smartphones, new research shows that resting from mobile internet access can greatly improve mental health, well-being, and cognitive function, while improvements in attention span are equivalent to ten Cognitive aging in years.
The groundbreaking study, published on PNAS Nexus on Tuesday, found that just two weeks of mobile Internet access resulted in improvements in mental health that exceeded the typical effects of antidepressants.
“Although this technology has benefited a lot, there is growing concern that smartphone use may adversely affect cognitive function and mental health,” the researchers noted in their findings. The research led by Noah Castelo and colleagues is designed to provide concrete evidence about these effects.
The one-month experiment involved 467 iPhone users who were asked to install an app that blocks mobile Internet access while still allowing calls and text messages. The study showed that during the limit period, screen time decreased from an average of 314 minutes to 161 minutes per day.
The results were surprising: 91% of participants showed improvement in at least one measured result. Perhaps most striking is that the enhancement of sustained attentional capacity matches what is expected to eliminate decades of age-related cognitive decline.
But sticking to a digital diet proved challenging. Of the initial 467 participants who agreed to the experiment, only 119 managed to maintain at least the Internet barrier in 14 intervention days. Despite the low compliance rate, researchers have found huge benefits even among those who follow the protocol.
The study shows that benefits stem from changes in several lifestyles. When cut off from the mobile internet, participants spent more time in person socializing, exercising and being there. They also reported better sleep and increased self-control.
It is particularly encouraging that improvements in well-being and mental health remain even when participants resume internet access. The groups that blocked the internet in the first two weeks maintained a higher level of well-being even at the four-week mark, suggesting the benefits of digital rest periods.
“These results provide causal evidence that blocking mobile Internet can improve important psychological outcomes, and suggest that maintaining a status quo of ongoing connection with the Internet can be harmful to time use, cognitive functioning, and well-being,” the researchers concluded.
Because half of the US smartphone users (more than 80% of those under 30) are particularly important to users who use overuse devices. The study shows that these problems may be well-founded, but also indicate potential solutions.
Researchers acknowledge that blocking mobile internet access completely can be too extreme for many. They believe future research could explore more targeted approaches, such as blocking specific applications or limiting internet access at certain times of the day.
“Balance the actual benefits offered by smartphones with these significant negative consequences is an important task for smartphone users.” Their results suggest that for many, finding time to reduce the time to connect to devices may lead to life having Improvement of meaning.
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