It’s true! Smartphones have changed my friends’ brains. Before, we used to have long face-to-face conversations without distractions. But now, when we get together, everyone’s eyes are fixed on the screen of their phones. Even when I try to talk to them, they seem like robots.
We are losing our ability to connect and communicate. Smartphones have made us lonelier and less attentive to our surroundings.
My friends are trapped in their virtual world, unable to enjoy the present moment. In addition, I have noticed that attention spans have become shorter and more scattered. They need help to concentrate or follow a complex conversation. Instead, their minds jump from one message to another without delving into anything.
A daily life without a screen in front of their faces is no longer conceivable for millions of people. On average, we interact with our phones for two to three hours a day, two full working days a week.
Why do we spend so much time with this thing? In just twelve years, the emergence of smartphones has revolutionized our ways of entertainment and communication, completely transforming our daily lifestyles. I always think back to Steve Jobs’ appearance on the first iPhone. He said, “Every once in a while, revolutionary products change everything.” This statement is very true. Our society has changed a lot since the smartphone.
Researchers from Zurich and Freiburg universities have found that smartphone usage can affect the brain, with discernible impacts on the emotional center and sensorimotor cortex. These brain regions have dedicated processing areas for every body part, from the toes to the jaw to the tongue.
The neuroscientists’ conclusion: “The digital technology we use in everyday life shapes sensory processing in our brains to an extent that has surprised us.”
Gaya Dowling, a brain scientist from the National Institutes of Health, told CBS TV that parents should be worried about their kids who spend too much time on screens because it can make their brains thinner. Numerous media outlets have since turned to the report. “Here’s How Cell Phones Change Our Children’s Brains,” headlined, for example, The New York Times.
