“Zombie Scrolling” has important effects on your mind and body (few know them )

Spending more and more time on social media is becoming a habit for many people of all ages. The algorithms and the design of the most popular apps in the world are increasingly refined, captivating, and compelling in constantly offering us new content based on our habits and what we seem to like best. Almost without realizing it, you end up scrolling like zombies, constantly waiting to receive new notifications, comments, or likes.

More and more research shows the psychological effects, both positive and negative, associated with using social networks: they should not be underestimated.

So find out what happens to your brain when you scroll and what happens when you leave the phone aside: click on the arrows in the photo to continue reading.

The effects of using social media can be positive or negative, it depends on how you use it and how much you use it. First of all, it should be emphasized that the interactions between people on digital platforms differ from those in physical reality. Social and digital interactions are faster and more straightforward, constantly acting on our brains.

The notification system, together with the like, comment, and sharing mechanisms, acts as a reinforcing element as receiving notifications produces a feeling of gratification and pleasure supported by the release of dopamine by the brain. The ease with which we exchange likes and comments only strengthens our addiction to happiness, gradually making us more dependent on the system. Yes, just like with alcohol or drugs.

Several studies link the use of social media to an increased risk of depression, loss of self-esteem, and increased anxiety. This happens because we compare our life and image to someone who posts modified photos, altered in some way, to appear more professional. On a physical level, however, the risks of prolonged smartphone use include a decrease in hand strength (decrease in grip strength) due to excessive stimulation of the median nerve and an increase in the likelihood of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Among the positive effects of using smartphones, especially among adolescents, there are healthy feelings of belonging to a group of friends, sharing one's ideas and experiences, and a renewed confidence in the future. Smartphones and social media will be with us for a long time. This is why it is essential to learn how to use them correctly. If you decide to "detox," you will see that it is not difficult; many things will happen physically and psychologically. Discover them; keep reading; it's worth it!

Several things happen when you put your smartphone aside without touching it and disabling notifications. The first effects are annoying; anxieties and thoughts characterize the first hours. However, by resisting and using the smartphone only for the strictly necessary, on the contrary, many aspects of private life begin to improve.

After 1 hour, if you have not used your smartphone, you will likely have tried to pick it up and look at it at least three times. In fact, on average, we pick it up 52 times a day.

Breaking the habit of checking your smartphone often, and receiving gratifying stimuli from it, translates into a sense of stress in not being able to do it. The brain then releases the stress hormone (cortisol).

This is the threshold to be exceeded to eliminate a large part of the adverse effects of abstinence from notification. After one day, anxiety increases, as does blood pressure, and many people experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or the fear of being cut off from social relationships.

After three days, you can experience phantom sensations and feel the phone vibrate in your pocket without this happening, for example. But, on the other hand, the gratifications of real life, family, couple, or work relationships will probably increase.

The ability to concentrate increases, they refine, and the results at school (or at work) prove it: you are more productive by about 20%. The brain performs better, and gets tired less, when it doesn't have to do two things simultaneously. Not checking your social accounts often allows us to work better.

All cognitive functions, whether sensory, reasoning, or emotional, improve. Furthermore, there is a general improvement in sleep quality, partly due to the lack of absorption of blue light from the displays.

Anxiety and depression decrease significantly, and your satisfaction with relationships and daily life grows. You may wonder how it was possible to "waste" so much time on the cell phone!