EBN- A new study has revealed that giving up your phone for just 3 days may reshape your brain activity. Researchers said that these digital devices have a significant impact on brain activity, according to the Science Alert website.
The study included 25 young adults aged 18 to 30, who were asked to limit their smartphone use as much as possible for 72 hours and were only allowed essential communications and work-related activities.
Researchers from the University of Heidelberg and the University of Cologne in Germany used MRI scans and psychological tests before and after a phone regimen to determine what kind of effect it had on neural patterns and activity. “We used a longitudinal approach to investigate the effects of smartphone restriction in smartphone users,” the researchers wrote in their published paper. Associations were found between changes in brain activation over time and neurotransmitter systems associated with addiction.
During scans conducted after 72 hours, participants were shown a variety of stimulating images—including pictures of smartphones turned on and off, as well as more “neutral” images showing subjects such as boats and flowers.
When the stimulating phone images were used, changes were observed in parts of the brain associated with reward processing and cravings, similar in some ways to brain signals associated with substance addiction—suggesting that our phones could be as addictive as nicotine or alcohol.
Why smartphone behaviors prompt changes in brain activity?
The fact that the changes seen in the brain were linked to dopamine and serotonin systems supports the idea of phone addiction. These two neurotransmitters are linked to multiple brain functions, including compulsive behavior and mood control.
However, based on psychological testing , there were no changes in participants’ mood or feelings of cravings, despite limited phone access.
Some volunteers reported an improvement in mood, but this was not significantly reflected in the test data.
The study didn’t go into any detail about why smartphone behaviors prompt changes in brain activity, but there are likely multiple factors at play. And it’s possible that not all phone-based activities are as addictive as others.
“Our data do not separate smartphone cravings from social interaction cravings , two processes that are tightly intertwined at present,” the researchers wrote.
Scientists are still trying to figure out how phones are changing our lives and our brains — it’s been less than 20 years since the first iPhone came out — but we now know more about some of the subtle withdrawal symptoms that occur when we don’t pick up our cell phones every few minutes.
“Specific neural mechanisms may significantly promote addictive behavior in individuals at risk for excessive smartphone use,” the researchers write.
