Warning] PC and smartphone “double screens” destroy your brain! The Undetected Fatigue
The reason for inefficiency at work is "overuse of the brain
Touching your smartphone while working on your PC. This “normal” habit may be slowly destroying your brain.
We have been told that “too much time on the phone is bad. I have always been told this, and I know it myself. The term “digital detox” has become popular, and more and more people are consciously trying to stay away from it.
Yet, I still find myself reaching for my smartphone. We open social networking sites while at work, return to our PCs, and then look at our phones again when notifications come in.
How does this “double screen” habit affect the brain? We asked Akihiro Morishita, director of the Digital Detox Association.
The true cause of fatigue is “brain damage.
We all know that looking at our phones too much is bad for our health. Tired eyes, neck pain, difficulty sleeping. Many people have probably already experienced these problems.
On the other hand, if you work on a PC for a long time, you may suffer from stiff shoulders and eye strain. This is also widely known as “a common problem of desk work.
However, what Mr. Morishita considers most problematic is neither the eyes nor the neck. It is the damage to the brain.
For example, if you try lifting a dumbbell with your left hand while lifting it with your right, it will become hard right away,” he says. But the brain has a hard time imagining that. In other words, the double screen of PC and smartphone that we take for granted is an act that puts a huge strain on the brain.
What is even more troubling is that it is difficult to recognize the fatigue.
Unlike physical fatigue, brain fatigue comes on later like a body blow. At first, you may feel a little irritable or your work may slow down, but if it accumulates, you may end up in a state of burnout. In some cases, this can lead to mental health issues.”
Without realizing it, you are slowly being whittled away. That is the fear of the double screen.
Some people who double screen on a daily basis may think that they are fine because they are good at multitasking. But beware of that perception.
According to a University of Utah study, only about 2% of people are truly capable of multitasking. Furthermore, it has been found that people who think they are good at something tend to actually be less efficient and productive than those who think they are good at it.
To begin with, what we think of as “multitasking” is what is known in brain science as “switch-tasking.
In a car, it’s like stepping on the brake and then the gas pedal: when you are doing A and B comes in, you stop A, switch to B, and then back to A again. It’s this stop-and-start cycle that’s double-screening.”
The feeling of “being able to multitask” is one thing, but actual performance is another. The more you think you are good at something, the more you are overworking your brain without realizing it.
Even a single screen is dangerous “while
After reading this far, one might think, “If I don’t use two screens, it’s fine. However, Mr. Morishita’s view is not so simple.
A survey shows that IT PC workers spend an average of 11 minutes working on a single task. Even if they are working on one screen, they check Slack while typing, check Gmail, and then move to another tab. If you’re going back and forth between tasks in that way, it’s no different than a double screen.”
The essence of the problem is not the number of screens. It is the “while” itself.
And this “while” is not limited to work.
After returning home, people touch their phones while watching TV in the living room. They look at the screen on the train, while walking, or even in the bathroom. Just like an acrobat spinning several plates at the same time, the day ends without our brains ever being turned off.
I am often asked, “How many hours a day should I spend looking at my phone?” but I tell them that it is better to stop ‘while’ than the length. I tell them that it’s better to stop “while” than to increase the length of their time. Since a certain amount of switching is inevitable during work, I suggest that they start reducing it during their leisure time.
One of the reasons why this “while” attitude has not stopped is because of the Japanese business culture. In an environment where “instant response” is demanded, people are forced to check their e-mail, Slack, and other notifications whenever they receive them. Whether at work or on a break, the brain is constantly being asked to respond.
In fact, a University of California study found that people who check their e-mail more frequently have higher heart rates and are in a constant state of tension.
On the other hand, in an experiment in which participants were shut off from e-mail for five days, they found that switching screens decreased, concentration time increased, and stress went down.
Those who checked their e-mail more often had a higher stress response, switching screens an average of 37 times per hour, and those who stayed away from e-mail for five days said, ‘Most of my messages didn’t need to be returned that quickly.’
The solution is to cut out the “phone in the bathroom.
So, should all interruptions at work be avoided? Not at all,” says Morishita.
There are “good interruptions” and “bad interruptions. For example, a simple confirmation of a work-related task is a good interruption that can be a refreshing change of pace. The problem is when an interruption occurs that requires a high level of concentration and has nothing to do with the current task at hand. That’s exactly what happens when you are working on something focused and then get distracted by an unrelated email that you have to respond to.”
The key is not to have zero interruptions. The important thing is not to have zero interruptions, but to frequently make time to give your brain a proper rest. To do this, it is important to know the concept of “attention resources.
There is an upper limit to the amount of concentration a person can use in a day. Just like the charge on a cell phone, the more you use it, the less you have. This is called ‘attentional resources,’ and today, both social networking and advertising are competing for people’s attention. We are constantly being deprived of energy from all directions.”
When attention resources are reduced, judgment becomes fuzzy and people become irritated over trivial matters. As these conditions persist, work performance is affected.
It’s not that we can’t do our jobs, but that we simply don’t have enough capacity,” says Morishita.
Even if you call it a digital detox, you don’t have to suddenly cut out your smartphone for a day. You don’t have to suddenly turn off your phone for a day. That alone will make a difference.
Stress in the modern world is “microstress,” which accumulates without our noticing it. To combat this, we need to take frequent short breaks called “micro-breaks” and let it out little by little. That’s all you need to do.
So, where should we start?
Morishita recommends “not taking your phone to the restroom.
Just by leaving your phone on your desk and going to the restroom, you can get a few minutes of rest a day. If you continue that for a week or a month, it will make quite a difference.”
Where you put your phone is also important. It is easy to think, “Just put the screen face down,” but that is not enough, he says.
If you leave it on your desk because you don’t use it, your attention will be drawn to it. Even if it’s in your pocket, you may feel, ‘I think I just heard a ring. Put your phone in another room or turn it off and put it in your bag. Unless you do that, I think it’s hard to be effective.”
Work efficiency is determined by the “power of rest.
After reading this far, some of you may feel, “I know it’s not good, but I can’t stop. It is not because of a weak will.
The fact that you are even aware of it is amazing. It has become so commonplace that most people don’t even think of it as a problem in the first place.
Morishita estimates that people today spend about three months a year in front of a screen. This means that most of their waking hours are spent in front of a screen. In such an environment, the fact that we are able to recognize that this may not be a good thing is already a first step in itself.
There is no need to beat yourself up about not being able to work or why you can’t concentrate. You just don’t have enough capacity. If you rest and recharge, you will be able to do more work and expand the range of what you can do. It is not a matter of ability, but of capacity.
That is why Morishita says he hopes people will have the courage to take time off. And the way to take a break is up to each individual.
Morishita himself resets his fatigue by going to a ski resort about an hour’s drive away. He works out early in the morning on the snowy slopes, then goes back to work at a restaurant near the slopes, and then skis again. Then, he says, “I sleep soundly that night and make good progress on my work the next day.
He says, “It could be taking a walk, taking a sauna, or painting. Finding a rest method that suits you is a kind of quest. There are things you don’t know until you try them, and I think that in itself is fun.”
On a daily basis, make time to frequently step away from the screen. That alone can make a difference in how tired your brain gets. Now you just need to find a “recharge method” that works for you. That is a realistic way to deal with double screen fatigue.
Shodai Morishita is the director of the Japan Digital Detox Association. While researching and disseminating domestic and international digital wellbeing trends as a web media editor, he also focuses on lectures and event activities for corporations and educational institutions. He is the author of “Strategic Leisure: A New Way to Rest and Change Your Life” (Asuka Shinsha).
Interview and text by： Motoko Abekawa
Motoko Abegawa works as a freelance writer mainly for the web. She is also involved in the production of books and corporate PR magazines. She does not specialize in any particular field, but covers a wide range of topics that intrigue her, including history, comedy, health, beauty, travel, gourmet food, and nursing care.
PHOTO： Afro (2nd picture)