A doctor has warned about three ways using your phone “kills your brain” and what to do if you “don’t want to live a stressful life”.
Harvard stress expert Dr. Aditi Nerurkar from Boston, Massachusetts explained the negative effects our cell phones are having on our brains while speaking with podcast host Steven Bartlett on a recent episode of his show, The Diary of to CEO.
He explained that excessive use of high-brightness phone screens and exposure to graphic content can contribute to stress, anxiety and depression.
Meanwhile, the doctor also highlighted that creating “digital boundaries” with our phones is “essential for our mental health and well-being.”
Here, FEMAIL reveals the three phone habits that Dr. Nerurkar mentioned that are negatively impacting our daily lives.
Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, of Boston, Massachusetts, warned about three ways using your phone is “killing your brain” and what to do if you “don’t want to live a stressful life.”
Night shift
The specialist analyzed how constant mobile phone use can negatively impact mental health through a phenomenon known as ‘popcorn brain’.
This occurs when the user struggles to disconnect from the continuous flow of information online.
He stated that our desire to scroll on our phones is a “primordial impulse” to seek out danger that comes from a feeling of stress.
He explained: “There’s been a lot of bad news lately; in fact, it feels like the avalanche of bad news, one thing after another, whether it’s a climate disaster or a conflict in a certain part of the world or something like that, is It’s always happening now.
‘The flow of information is rapid and unprecedented, so we are constantly looking for dangers.
‘When we were all cavemen, there was a night watchman. That person would sit by the fire while the tribe slept and that person would look for danger to keep the tribe safe.
‘In modern times, we have all become that person who stands guard at night and scrolls incessantly when we feel a sense of stress because it is our primary impulse.
‘It’s the way our amygdala (parts of the brain responsible for processing emotional stimuli) feel a sense of security because we’re looking for danger.
‘But we are no longer a tribe, we are no longer cave people. So what do we do? We move, that’s how we look for danger, especially when we feel stressed.’
He explained the negative effects our mobile phones are having on our brains while speaking to podcast host Steven Bartlett (pictured) on a recent episode of his show, The Diary of a CEO.
Checking your phone frequently
Dr Nerurkar urged people to stop checking their phones immediately after waking up as this increases stress and mobile phone dependency makes stress even worse.
She said: ‘Most of us check our phones 2,600 times a day, that’s a statistic… When you wake up, before your second eye is even open, you’re scrolling.
‘Studies show that 62 percent of people check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up and around 50 percent do so in the middle of the night. I’m guilty of this,’ she said.
Dr. Nerurkar recommends limiting phone use to 20 minutes a day, “and setting a timer if necessary to engage and consume.”
Consume traumatic content
The doctor said that consuming traumatic content on social media can cause emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and vicarious trauma, especially for those who work in journalism.
She explained: ‘Graphic images and videos on your phone can increase the risk of PTSD and mental health problems as they trigger the fight or flight response and can cause vicarious trauma.
‘Studies indicate that the risk of PTSD increases when you consume graphic images, even if what you consume happens thousands of miles away, like any conflict, any climate disaster, anything.
‘If you start consuming graphic images and videos, you increase your risk of PTSD, even if you haven’t had any direct trauma because what you’re seeing is indirect trauma.
‘And then it’s a cycle. The more videos you consume or the more graphic content you consume, your amygdala activates, your primal urge to scroll starts to go haywire, and then you scroll some more, and then you scroll some more, because you don’t feel safe. This is a common thing.’