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Kim In-soo psychiatrist
Department of Psychiatry in Your Forest ledger
Psychiatry Newspaper | Insu Kim, Specialist in Psychiatry
With the advent of smartphones in the 2000s, many changes have occurred in our lives. Smartphones began to have an impact on every aspect of our daily lives, resonating just as much as when the Internet first appeared. From social functions such as contact with acquaintances and SNS, to mobile payment, finance such as stocks, online shopping, and ID issuance functions, life is impossible without using a smartphone.
like this As smartphones become more commonplace, there is a lot of discussion about the side effects as well as the convenience of smartphones. A typical example is reduced attention due to multitasking.no see. Recently, it refers to a state in which memory loss for information necessary for daily life is experienced due to dependence on digital devices. ‘digital dementia’The term is also appearing.
Using our smartphones, we often do ‘multi-tasking’ such as work, study, TV watching, and cleaning. And I think we did several things efficiently at the same time. However, according to researchers at Stanford University in the US, people who use smartphones and other multimedia together and multitask a lot have difficulty concentrating on one task and have difficulty switching between various tasks. Multitasking reduces neural signals for memory and impairs attention and memoryno see. This is also related to the ‘cognitive resonance’ of our brain. The amount of information your brain can accept and process is limited, so doing multiple things at once can make it hard to concentrate and distract.
Meanwhile Smartphones and multitasking also affect cognitive and emotional functions. Researchers at the University of London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience have reported that the higher the tendency to use smartphones and other media, the lower the density of gray matter in the brain, which is responsible for cognitive and emotional coordination functions. Similarly, the Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital psychiatry research team In the smartphone addiction group, emotional cognitive ability was reduced, and the dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex related to conflict detection and control, and the left superior temporal and right temporal-parietal junctions related to social interaction were relatively less activated.observed.
Also, caution is required in that excessive smartphone use can change the structure or function of the brain. In particular, children and adolescents are still developing their brains, and frequent exposure to smartphones during this period thins the cerebral cortex and affects the formation of the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is responsible for concentration, thinking, problem-solving, sociality, emotional regulation, and control. Excessive use of smartphones prevents the frontal lobe from developing because the occipital lobe processes information directly.no see.
Smartphone addiction, like other addictions such as drugs and alcohol, changes brain mechanisms and is related to various psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD.is known as The ‘addicted brain’ is related to the secretion of ‘dopamine’, which is responsible for the reward system among neurotransmitters. Addictive behavior stimulates the ‘pleasure center’, a reward circuit that leads to the midbrain ventral tegmental area, the frontal medial prefrontal cortex, and the left septum nucleus. The ventral tegmental region carries the neurotransmitter dopamine via neurons to the left septal nucleus and the prefrontal cortex. Dopamine is released when you perform activities that help you survive, such as eating or having sex, or when you feel emotions such as joy or pleasure. However, dopamine is released through artificial rewards such as drugs and alcohol in addition to these natural rewards. this If artificial reward substances or behaviors are continuously given and suddenly not provided, dopamine is not produced enough and dependence symptoms accompanied by psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, restlessness, and tremors of hands and feet appear. And you fall into a vicious cycle of addiction that requires you to do that behavior more and more often.
Artificial rewards secrete much more dopamine than natural rewards, so the size and duration of pleasure are very strong. therefore Once you become accustomed to artificial rewards, you will not experience great joy and pleasure from natural rewards.. Smartphone addiction is also a kind of artificial reward.In severe cases, as with other addictions, it is accompanied by changes in brain mechanism, so it may be difficult to solve problems with willpower and improvement through lifestyle changes. Therefore, knowing that there is a change in the brain at the root of addiction, it is recommended to receive help from a specialist by combining various treatments such as drugs and cognitive behaviors, or designing a treatment that suits you.
Moderate smartphone use makes our lives rich and convenient. But If you are anxious without a smartphone and cannot take your eyes off the smartphone for even a moment, it is time to start a change.no see. What are the specific methods?
1. Digital detox
on purpose Limiting the amount of time you use your smartphone or not using your smartphone at all for a certain period of time. You can try digital detox together. Just as I detox for 3 to 4 days for a healthy body, I practice digital detox for my body and mind. You may feel uncomfortable and anxious at first, but you will be able to experience more focus on yourself.
2. Focus on offline daily life and interpersonal relationships
When we are alone, we look at our smartphones more. To fill the unfulfilled emptiness, loneliness, and boredom. then Turn off your smartphone for a while and focus more on your offline daily life and interpersonal relationships, such as walking, reading, and tea time with friends.how about If you fill your mind by looking at the living nature and people, not the smartphone, you will feel that the time or frequency of looking at the smartphone naturally decreases.
Smartphones have already become an important area of our lives. For the born digital generation, who have been experiencing the digital world since birth, it is difficult to imagine a world without smartphones and digital devices. As such, we recommend that you accurately recognize the effects of smartphones on our brains and put efforts into healthy smartphone usage habits so that our lives with smartphones are healthier.
Your Forest Mental Health Clinic | Director Kim In-soo