“The truth is that you are living in a system that is pouring acid on your attention every day, and then you are being told to blame yourself and to fiddle with your own habits while the world’s attention burns.”

—Johann Hari, Author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—And How to Think Deeply Again

It’s Too Hard to Focus! I Can Barely Write This!

I wanted to write about how smartphones are negatively affecting our ability to think, process, and focus. It’s something that comes up in therapy a lot because it has to do with triggering issues like productivity, time management, feeling overwhelmed. When I read Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus, I just knew that the rate at which ADHD is diagnosed does not reflect the actual prevalence of that condition. What is happening is that many of us think we have ADHD or some adjacent condition because our attention is so fragmented by our phones. Our brains are addicted to our devices and our productivity decreases dramatically as a result of not being able to stay with a task without distractions. Over time, our capacities to focus and concentrate diminish. What you don’t use, you lose. Similar to muscles, certain executive functioning abilities can atrophy without regular use (and they improve with intentional practice).

There’s also the fact that devices hinder deep thinking. As I write this, I am in awe of how difficult it is for me to write anything, a task I used to relish and enjoy. Writing was a form of self-expression for me throughout my 20s that helped me think, reflect, gather myself. And now, when the reminder on my calendar tells me it’s time to write, I act as if I’m being told I have to get a pap smear. “Are you kidding me? Again? Today? FML.” What happened to me? My experience of time has changed. And my mind is not entirely my own anymore because it’s kind of always waiting for something happening on my phone, a notification from an app, an email, a text. And I feel bored until any one of these things occurs on my phone.

I know I am not alone. I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation and the introductory chapter alone has me feeling panicked and overwhelmed about what young people are experiencing. It is one of the most difficult existential questions of our time: how do we live with this thing?

The Addictive Nature of Smartphones

Before we talk about how to deal with device addiction, we need to discuss why it is an addiction. Device addiction is called "nomophobia" (“no-mobile-phone phobia”) and it is increasingly recognized as a mental health concern. While it’s not yet classified as a formal disorder, many people exhibit behaviors with their devices that resemble addiction patterns. Let’s examine some of these addiction-like behaviors a bit more closely.

1. Compulsive checking: Constantly feeling the need to check one's phone, even when there are no notifications. This can manifest as reaching for the phone every few minutes or feeling anxious when the device is out of reach.

2. Loss of control: Difficulty regulating device use, often spending more time on devices than intended. This could involve staying up late browsing social media or struggling to put the phone down during meals or social interactions.

3. Tolerance: Needing increasing amounts of time on devices to feel satisfied, similar to how substance addictions progress.

4. Withdrawal symptoms: Experiencing anxiety, irritability, or restlessness when unable to use devices.

5. Negative impact on daily life: Device use interferes with our functioning at work or school, or even in our relationships. This might include neglecting personal responsibilities or social activities in favor of screen time.

6. Continued use despite negative consequences: Persisting with device use even when aware of its negative effects on mental health, sleep, or productivity.

7. Mood modification: Using devices as a way to escape or distract away from negative emotions or stress, similar to how some people might use substances to cope.

8. Deception: Hiding the extent of device use from others or lying about time spent online. If you think you might not be using deception, ask yourself if you’ve ever disclosed to your friends and family the screen time data from your phone.

If we’re dealing with addiction, and I think we are, then we need to be clear that the concepts of “discipline” and “self-control” become less relevant. Just as a substance hijacking your brain isn’t going to allow rational decision-making to proceed as normal, your smartphone addiction is not giving you a lot of choices. However, just as with substance abuse, there are things you can do to intervene, which I’ll talk about in a follow-up article.

Attention Fragmentation

In addition to hijacking our brains like it’s a powerful substance, smartphones also have a significant impact on attention and cognitive functioning. The following are some examples I’ve observed.

1. Constant interruptions:

• Notifications from various apps constantly vie for our attention.

• Each ping or vibration creates a micro-distraction, pulling our focus away from the task at hand.

• Even when we don't check the notification, the mere awareness of it can use our precious mental resources.

2. Decreased attention span:

• The rapid-fire nature of smartphone content (short videos, quick social media updates) may be training our brains to expect not just constant stimulation, but brief bursts of information rather than prolonged focus.

• Over time, more complex tasks that require sustained attention become more difficult for us.

3. Multi-tasking illusion:

• Smartphones encourage continuous task-switching, which we often mistake for “multi-tasking.” Most of us are not really able to multi-task effectively, however. Frequent switching between tasks can reduce overall productivity and increase errors.

• Frequent task-switching tends to reinforce shorter attention spans.

4. Cognitive load:

• The mere presence of a smartphone, even when not in use, can occupy cognitive resources. Studies have shown that people perform worse on cognitive tasks when their smartphone is visible or nearby, even if it's turned off.

• There’s also the “phantom vibration syndrome,” which occurs when people believe their phone is vibrating or ringing even though it’s not.

5. Dopamine-driven feedback loops:

• Smartphones provide quick, pleasurable hits of information that trigger dopamine release. This can create addictive patterns, making it harder to focus on less immediately rewarding tasks.

• For a more detailed summary of how these reward pathways in the brain work and how they’re being exploited by tech companies, read this brief article.

6. Reduced deep thinking:

• The constant availability of information can discourage deep, focused thinking. Instead of working through problems, there's a tendency to quickly look up answers.

7. Impact on reading capacity:

• Smartphone use may be changing how we read, encouraging skimming rather than deep reading. This can affect comprehension and analytical thinking skills.

8. Attention residue:

• When we switch from smartphone use to another task, our attention doesn't immediately follow. There's often a residual attention deficit as our mind continues to think about the previous activity.

9. Reduced mindfulness:

• Constant smartphone use can make it harder to be present in the moment. This can affect everything from personal relationships to appreciation of experiences.

10. Opportunity cost:

• This is something that Jonathan Haidt discusses in The Anxious Generation. When we’re on our phones, what is it we are NOT doing because we’re on our phones? We are not connecting, face-to-face socializing, reading, cooking, daydreaming, playing instruments, writing, and sleeping.

So if you are an adult and you suspect you have been living with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, try observing your smartphone behaviors and see if there is continuous distractibility impacting your attentional capacity because of the phone.

In my next post, I’ll talk about ways to manage our relationships with phones in a more balanced way.