How a 3-day smartphone detox can affect your brain? New scientific discovery
What will happen to a human brain after giving up a smartphone for 3 days (photo: freepik.com)
Smartphones have become a part of our lives, and many people can't imagine their day without a gadget. Scientists have been studying the impact of smartphones on humans, especially on the brain, and have made some sensational discoveries, according to the research paper Computers in Human Behavior.
Researchers from the Universities of Heidelberg and Cologne invited volunteers to participate in the experiment and asked them to limit their smartphone use for 72 hours. During the follow-up, they used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and psychological tests to record changes in participants' brain activity.
During the MRI, participants were shown images that were associated with phones and neutral images. The results showed that the phone-related images caused people to activate areas of the brain associated with reward and craving. This is similar to how the brain reacts to addiction to certain substances, such as nicotine or alcohol.
In fact, this result suggests that smartphones can be addictive and can affect the dopamine and serotonin systems.
However, psychological tests did not show any significant changes in the participants' moods. On the contrary, some volunteers reported an improvement in mood. Although there was no scientific data to support this trend.
Scientists are now planning to conduct further research to find out why smartphone use causes such changes in the brain.
They also emphasize that it is important to distinguish between two factors in future studies - the desire to use a smartphone and the desire for social interaction, as these two aspects are interrelated.
