A recent study has found that taking a break from mobile internet access on smartphones can improve mental health, overall well-being, and attention span. Adrian Ward and his colleagues conducted the research, which involved a controlled experiment in which participants blocked internet access on their phones for two weeks. The study included 467 participants, with an average age of 32.
They were split into two groups: one that blocked internet access for the first two weeks and another that did so during the latter two weeks. The researchers measured the participants’ psychological functioning at the beginning, middle, and end of the four weeks using self-reported assessments and objective computer-based tests. The results showed that blocking mobile internet for two weeks improved mental health, subjective well-being, and sustained attention.
Specifically, 91% of participants improved on at least one of the three outcomes, and 71% reported better mental health after the internet break.
Blocking mobile internet boosts well-being
The average degree of improvement in symptoms of depression was more significant than that reported in multiple studies of antidepressant medications.
Attention spans improved by an amount equivalent to reversing 10 years of age-related cognitive decline. The benefits of blocking mobile internet seemed to increase over time, with participants feeling progressively better daily during the intervention period. Ward explained that these effects on psychological functioning could be attributed to how blocking the mobile internet impacted participants’ daily lives.
Instead of watching more TV or movies, they increased time spent offline, doing hobbies, talking to people face-to-face, or going out in nature. They also got more sleep, felt more socially connected, and felt more in control of their own decisions. The findings suggest that consumers may have a significant demand for technologies that help reduce their time online and stimulate them less.
Ward suggests that companies could move to subscription-based business models to avoid bombarding users with flashy ads, and employers might offer apps to help employees become happier and more productive by cutting back their mobile internet consumption.
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