In today’s day and age, many have been guilty of ‘doom-scrolling’ through various social media apps. The habit could lead to several hindrances to mental health, which could grow concerning. Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman talked about this during a Q&A session in Melbourne.
The problem with extended exposure to social media is that it tends to become a habit. Users are physically wired to click on the app without putting in a lot of conscious thought. It almost feels as if an individual mindlessly clicks on the position of the app on their phone and drowns in the plethora of content available before realizing the reality.
Dr. Huberman confessed that his podcast producer, Rob Mohr, asked the team to delete their social media applications before entering Australia. And that, he believed, is one of the only sure-shot ways to stop mindless scrolling online.
He revealed that the plausible method that wouldn’t lead to dire consequences is deleting and reinstalling the apps whenever necessary. This would limit the number of times one clicks on apps, therefore reducing time spent on social media.
“At some point, it becomes more compulsive than addiction. These are just reflexive behaviors… It might be addictive, but it can’t be good when it’s like that.”
Today, phones offer many methods to limit the usage of such mediums, like graying out the screen or setting timers for each app’s usage, but people have different ways to train their brains. But the root cause of this phenomenon is how this usage has turned into life energy.
Recalling an incident from one of his talks, Dr. Huberman recounts the criticism from a 16-year-old, who admitted there was a connection between his physical energy and phone. When his device would switch off, he could feel his energy drain away. That’s when Dr. Huberman realized that the usage of phones and apps is too deeply ingrained to be able to reverse its effects or eliminate them.
“You cannot block the system that’s emerged. This is here, and it’s here to stay. So I think things like deleting the app… putting it back on is the only way to go.”
Dr. Andrew Huberman once pondered on the quality of interactions through social media
After the pandemic hit the globe, many resorted to making connections and communicating through social media. This situation worked as both a pro and con since people eventually developed easy and faster ways to communicate, but the quality of communication was questionable. Dr. Andrew Huberman once discussed this with neurobiologist Dr. Kay Tye on his podcast.
The topic was highly subjective. In general, an individual aims to achieve social homeostasis, where they try to keep a balance between the quality and quantity of interaction. That said, depending on the kind of responses, one could either achieve nourishment of the brain or regress into withdrawal. A good measure is to note the quality of communication when performed through generic social media interaction, such as looking through posts or stories, versus having a one-on-one conversation over the phone where an individual can at least hear the voice and intonation of the other.
