A Thunder Bay man is looking at what he calls the addictive impact cell phones are having on everyday health.
James Lees points out the high usage of cell phones and social media are causing more anxiety, and affecting how well we communicate with each other.
“We spend less time with people in real time, there are parts of our brains that don’t get developed. And we’re starting to see a loss of empathy, loss in the ability to have a long, sustained conversation.” says Lees.
In his presentation called Smartphones and the Pursuit of Wellness, the author adds our devices have reduced our attention spans to that of a goldfish. He adds technology is meant to distract us, keep us on the devices, and thus enabling app developers make more money. Lees also distinguishes between those who use it for work, with those who he says watch cat videos.
“They’re moving back and forth between apps, there’s work that they’re doing, there’s really valuable things that we use phones for. But there’s lots of ‘fast food’ use, we sort of find ourselves down this rabbit hole of useless information.” says the researcher.
The local man adds cell phones, probably the most addictive medium ever created, affects us socially, physically and mentally. They affect our ability to communicate, as opposed to connection through mobile devices.
“Being connected doesn’t develop parts of the brain. Conversation does, it’s messy, it’s more difficult, because you have to deal with human beings face to face.”
