Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

apa.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 193 posts

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#71

Post by bigDinosaur »

stevage wrote: post #40
ocimbote wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many pediatricians in Berlin (presumably all around Germany as well) have a poster showing parents doom-scrolling with the mention "how much did you talk to your kids today?". Brutal and relevant. I think of it every time I have a "I am in this picture and I don't like it" moment.

My friends who are parents feel so guilty if they ever look at their phone while with kids. That message might have gotten through too strongly.

Why does that seem to be 'too strongly'? Just like how being very fit requires some level of guilt with eating cake, so too does avoiding overuse of smartphones.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#72

Post by porknubbins »

bamboozled wrote: post #51

Has anyone experimented with having a "dumb phone" and taking that with them just in-case people need to contact them or for emergencies? Lately, I've had a few times when I accidentally left my phone at home and after an hour or so realized how much fun I've had without it.

I was thinking about getting a cheap prepaid phone to bring on long bike rides. Even though I only check my spartphone once or twice per ride I realized just having it prevents my mind from really relaxing. I should probably just bring everything to repair a flat then I wouldn’t need a phone at all.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#73

Post by kumarvvr »

Recently un-installed the following apps.

  - Reddit
  - Amazon Prime Video
  - Netflix
I could not shake off the addiction of scrolling for new content and news, all day long.

I could not concentrate on any work.

I would either be scrolling on reddit or kept a show running "in the background" while doing work.

I suffered like this for 4 years

Thank god I was self aware enough of my addiction.

Planning to stay off them even on desktops.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#74

Post by kumarvvr »

gofreddygo wrote: post #62
jerlam wrote: post #31

There's also the long-standing idea that people come up with great/interesting ideas while in the shower (so much that it's an internet meme), and that's attributed to the shower being one of the few places where you don't have media or electronics trying to capture your attention.

That phenomenon is very real in my personal case. Unfortunately the ideas go away by the time i get hold of pen and paper after the shower. Possible solutions to this are welcome.

Have a voice recorder record your thoughts while in the shower.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#75

Post by lazide »

carrolldunham wrote: post #60
lazide wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good luck with young kids!

If you reflected on the meaning you might have questioned your impulse to have kids

Pretty sure Buddha warned against nihilism. The void may be tempting, but is ultimately empty, after all.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#76

Post by arthurcolle »

kumarvvr wrote: post #73

Recently un-installed the following apps. - Reddit - Amazon Prime Video - Netflix I could not shake off the addiction of scrolling for new content and news, all day long. I could not concentrate on any work. I would either be scrolling on reddit or kept a show running "in the background" while doing work. I suffered like this for 4 years Thank god I was self aware enough of my addiction. Planning to stay off them eve…

I feel like reddit is unusable these days without prepending old. as a subdomain. And I never use netflix or prime video on a mobile device, but I mean that's cool if you find that useful!

When in your day do you find yourself using video streaming apps on mobile

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#77

Post by [deleted] »

anvandare wrote: post #15

"Tout le malheur des hommes vient d’une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos dans une chambre." "All the unhappiness of men arises from a single fact, which is from not knowing how to stay at rest in a room." (Blaise Pascal, Pensées, 139) It is no coincidence that the word 'idle' means both 'doing nothing' and 'being worthless'. I could write out a longer comment with some more thoughts on the heal…

[deleted]

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#78

Post by slowmovintarget »

nonrandomstring wrote: post #42
liberia wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone. Blaise Pascal For another spin on it. That quote is brilliant and profound. Sad that thinking is regarded as an afflicting disease and our devices are the cure. I purposefully dedicate an hour to just do jack shit and be alone with my thoughts. ‘Oh you saw something in your mind? Relax it’s called an idea. Get used to them’

"The Belcerebons of Kakrafoon Kappa were sentenced to telepathy by a Galactic Tribunal because the rest of the galaxy found peaceful contemplation contemptuous." - HHGTTG I often think smartphones were inflicted upon Earth by our alien neighbours to distract us and stop us ever getting off this rock.

> ...And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains. -- Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut

We don't need Diana Moon Glampers, we do it to ourselves.

Another quote:

"Writing is thinking." -- David McCullough

We need to write more, for ourselves, to others, in slow, careful sentences, building arguments. Tweets don't cut it.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#79

Post by quickthrower2 »

My anecdotal experience is this is good thing to do.

But I am addicted to devices, especially HN, Reddit and a game I won't mention because I don't want to get you addicted to it too.

I think you can get a lot of joy by letting your mind wander! It may not be productive (like an Eureka moment), but it can be fun, it can also remembering to do something you would have otherwise not thought about.

Re: Put down devices, let your mind wander, study suggests

#80

Post by pca006132 »

lampshades wrote: post #18

Sometimes I wonder if our preoccupation with information consumption is a catalyst for our inability to have epiphanic thought. We’d probably have more Einstein-like breakthroughs in science if we weren’t constantly reading to find the answer and instead let our minds connect into the collective consciousness that already knows all.

There is a famous chinese saying that "Learning without thinking is vain; thinking without learning is perilous". I guess the problem is getting the right balance.

And to be honest, I am not sure whether we are reading to find the answer or just searching for stimulus now.

Post reply on HN