Today, it seems like every piece of technology needs to have at least two functions (more realistically, five) to be considered competitive.
We can check our text messages on a smart fridge. We can check our sleep score to see how well we slept without thinking about how we feel.
We can buy a toothbrush that sends updates to our phone detailing how effective our brushing has been.
It's convenient, sure. But has this access to everything β everything β all at once affected how our brains work?
The Dawn of Smart Devices
The first smart device was the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, released in August 1994. At eight inches long and weighing over a pound, Simon wasnβt exactly the epitome of sleek.
Yet, at the time, it was darn impressive, because it allowed its user access to many functions (not yet called βappsβ), including:
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Fax
- Alarm clock
- Notepad
- To-do list
Instead of having to walk to the fax machine to manually send a message (talk about a phrase that hasnβt been uttered in a decade), you could simply type into this tiny box and be on your way.
From this point, humans were hooked on multi-functionality. And very rapidly, we expanded upon IBMβs vision.
Realizing the Effects of Smart Devices on Mental Health
In the thirty years since Simon was released, weβve moved light-years ahead in what smart devices can do. With smart glasses, smart rings, smart watches, and (of course) smartphones all now available, fairly affordable, and rapidly evolving, we have the chance to be connected every second of every day.
In response, many scientists and psychologists have set out to determine exactly how this instant access to everything under the sun affects our emotional, behavioral, and mental health.
The results are about what youβd expect. Studies have shown just how dependent weβve become on our smartphones, with nearly half of the respondents of one study by the Pew Research Center saying they would be βunable to live without their phoneβ and that being separated from their phone results in feelings of βanxiety and withdrawal.β Dependence on smart devices is a very real phenomenon affecting todayβs population, particularly younger generations, who have never known a world without this kind of technology.
With 95% of teens ages 13-17 having access to a smartphone, emerging research has found that a personβs hours of screen time per day directly correlates to adverse mental health effects. In one eleven-year survey by Gunnell and colleagues, researchers found that an increase in screen time was associated with an increase in anxiety and depression in children and young adults.
Studies have shown just how dependent weβve become on our smartphones, with nearly half of the respondentsΒ of one study by the Pew Research Center saying they would be "unable to live without their phone."Β
Additionally, one of the most-cited consequences of smart device use has been a disturbance of sleep. Many of us have heard of the idea of going βscreen-lessβ for the last hour of our waking day.
There are several reasons for this. The blue light emitted from our phones, laptops, and tablets can throw off our bodyβs internal clock. At the same time, doing thought-heavy activities like playing games or thinking of a witty response to fire back to a friend can continue to stimulate the mind, rather than winding it down for sleep.
But thereβsΒ another process that many of us fall victim to every week: revenge bedtime procrastination.
Essentially, during our busy day, we feel like we canβt get a moment to ourselves. So, once we get into bed, we hop on our smart device and scroll, absorbing all the content we can. Weβre determined to carve out a little personal time β even if that comes at theΒ price of fragmented sleep.
Poor sleep from this cycle can weaken our ability to make decisions, while increasing anxiety and depression.
Our Dwindling Need to Recall Knowledge
In addition to affecting stress levels and sleep quality, some researchersΒ suggest that our way of learning and absorbing information has changed after using these devices so regularly for so long.
Imagine that itβs thirty years ago, and your sink is leaking.
Well, in 1994, βGoogleβ was not a verb; in fact, it wasnβt even a word. This meant that you couldnβt simply type βhow to fix leakβ into a search bar and be gifted with a step-by-step guide on what to do.
Instead, youβd likely go through some trial and error to see if you could figure out how to stop that leak, which would require a significant amount of brainpower and problem-solving.
Today, we donβt have to go through this thought-stimulating process. Instead, we simply type a few letters on our screen, and weβre given exact steps to accomplish what we need.
The problem? Having this constant access to technology may affect our ability to recall information weβve previously learned. It makes sense β why should our mind spend the brainpower retaining this information when we can effortlessly look it up again if we need it?
(And smart devices' effect on our ability to focus? Our utter inability toΒ multitask? ThoseΒ are wholeΒ separate topics!)
Having this constant access to technology may affect our ability to recall information we've previously learned.
This constant access to information has also led to a decline in an essential aspect of our mental health: socialization.
Letβs say it's still 1994 and you havenβt been able to fix that annoying leak in your sink. To get some assistance, you may head down to the hardware store to ask an associate for advice. Or you might call your dad.
While these interactions may seem inconsequential, we know that these socialΒ interactions are essential to our brain health. Unfortunately, people today are experiencing fewer and fewer encounters like these due to the isolating nature of smart devices.
BreakingΒ Our Dopamine Addiction
There's another sneaky process at work in fueling our addiction to smart devices. Constantly checking notifications, whether it be a text, comment on an Instagram post, or a reminder to play Wordle, has been found to give our brains a boost in dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that can help us feel pleasure. This is why seeing that someone left a comment on your Facebook post (or TikTok, depending on your generation) can leave you feeling a certain kind of high.
However, dopamine isnβt all rainbows and good feelings. When you obtain regular spikes in dopamine, your body begins to need more dopamine to continue to feel that pleasure. So, you need to check your notifications more and more often to continue to get that positive feeling.
And when that person isnβt checking their alerts β what happens?
They experience more emotional lows. These low feelings can lead to more stress and anxiety that can impact all aspects of life.
It's far past time we re-regulate how much dopamine our brains get β and hopefully, move into a healthier, more natural cycle.
It's far past time we re-regulate how much dopamine our brains get β and hopefully, move into a healthier, more natural cycle.
The Difference of a Single-Purpose Device
With all this emerging research on the effects of smart devices, the idea of moving back toward simplicity and βdoing one thing wellβ has become a major discussion in the tech world in recent years.
A single-purpose device is exactly what it sounds like: a device that has one function and one function only. For example, a fridge that merely keeps your food cold rather than reading you the weather report.
As these sole-use products continue to rise in popularity, weβll no doubt see more studies comparing the mental health implications of using a single-feature product versus a smart device. But we can already draw some conclusions from smart device-focused research.
Itβs been found that, on average, people check their email between 11 and 36 times per hour. This can mean that during the work day, a person is checking their email, Slack, orΒ another communication app every six minutes.
Six minutes!
How can you get a workflow going if youβre interrupting yourself ten times an hour? Already we can see the benefits of stripping away distractions to focus on mentally taxing tasks like reading and writing.
Of course, many people still have plenty of non-technological single-purpose items we use daily: a coffee maker that strictly brews coffee; a dresser that holds your clothes; a mechanical watch that does not keep track of your step count. Rather than that jolting nuclear-alarm-meltdown sound that is the default on the iPhone,Β many peopleΒ elect to set a physical alarm clock to wake them up.
These items do one purpose well, and thatβs all we need (and expect) from them. In some ways, itβs reassuring toΒ experience that focus.Β Itβs also better for your brain.
However, itβs important to point out that single-purpose devicesΒ don't necessarilyΒ need to be non-technical. There are exceptionally fancy alarm clocks available today, from ones that roll around the floor to others that mimic the rising sun. Yet, most of these are not also allowing you to check your emails first thing in the morning.
And that's a good thing.
Teams likeΒ those hereΒ at Freewrite and over at brands like Light Phone and Brick are developing great single-purpose tech to help you do more of what you love without sacrificing your mental health.
Storytellers who do their best work when disconnected from their Slack pingsΒ often opt to use a dedicated drafting device fromΒ ourΒ lineup.Β Just like a Kindle offers distraction-free reading, FreewriteΒ enables a writer to write distraction-freeΒ to their heartβs content.
This has led to the Freewrite community reporting that they average writing two to three times more words per hour on a single-purpose Freewrite device.
In other words: We can embraceΒ newΒ technology while also interrogating its effect on human beings and modern life.
Both are possible. I promise.Β
We can embraceΒ newΒ technology while also interrogating its effect on human beings and modern life.
Integrating the Single-PurposeΒ PhilosophyΒ into Your Life
From higher productivity to less stress and better sleep, the data is pretty clear that weβd all benefit from less time on our smart devices.
We encourage you to explore the work being done at likeminded tech companies to see if you and your health could benefit from single-purpose technology. There are analogue changes you can make, too.
For example, you can use your bed for sleeping only. When you wake up, no scrolling through social media. Before bed, donβt cozy up to watch the newest episode of Bridgerton. No more enjoying a snack under your covers.
Your bed becomes designated for sleep and sleep alone. (Yes, sleep experts recommend this!)
If youΒ have a single-purpose tool you love, we want to hear from you! Share it on social media and tag us @getfreewrite.
Mike Somerby identifies as a writer β with some reservation.
