I was asked the question “are we becoming addicted to our screens?” when speaking
on The Procurement Show recently. Here were my six conclusions to the question:-
- Whether we are aware of it or not, our attention spans are reducing due to screen
time exposure. Over the last twenty years, an individual’s attention span has
reduced, on average, from 2.5 minutes 47 seconds. - 60% of the world is on social media for at least 2.5 hours per day after their work. If
we take a normal working day of approx. four to five hours elapsed screen time and
add this to our personal screen time (whether that be TV, social media, texts or
gaming) we are exposing our brains to a significant amount of overstimulation. - In 2011 David Levy, a university research psychologist, coined the phrase “Popcorn
Brain” to describe what happens to the brain when exposed to rapid bursts of screen
data. Essentially screen time excites certain connections in the brain and releases the
feel-good chemical, Dopamine. Addictive loops of automatic responses in our bodies
are then established and we start to short circuit our thinking pathways – thus
reducing our concentration spans. As a consequence, we need more dopamine to
get the same emotional response ie addiction. - A recent study of brain scans on gamers and cocaine addicts was undertaken and
showed the same level of brain activity was found in both groups. - Symptoms of high screen time usage can be anxiety, irritation, angry outbursts,
depression, foggy thinking, tired eyes, insomnia and a reduction in empathy. - Dopamine responses produce a range of automatic responses in our bodies, over
which we have little immediate control, and we need to be aware of the possible
impacts screen time has on us. Adopting simple and effective rules for managing
your down time during the day and before bed is essential to prevent burnout.
For more on this multifaceted debate, with Jonathan O’Brien and Paul Philpott, go to the podcast https://positivepurchasing.com/podcast-the-procurement-show/