Reduce your phone usage time: A golden secret to improving mental health.

In early February, researchers discovered that reducing the time people spend using smartphones to access the internet can help them feel happier and more focused.

It's noteworthy that even if they continued to use other electronic devices, limiting their online time solely to their phones had a clearly positive impact on their mental health.

Associate Professor of Psychology Kostadin Kushlev of Georgetown University (USA) shared that: "Using mobile phones can lead to small effects, sometimes difficult to notice immediately, but over time, these can accumulate and negatively impact mental health."

Statistics show that, on average, Americans spend nearly 5 hours a day using smartphones.

However, when researchers asked a group of participants to stop accessing the internet on their phones, many found it very difficult to do so. Nevertheless, those who complied reported significant improvements in mood and concentration compared to those who continued using their phones as usual.

Research design and implementation

This study, published in February, recruited 467 participants aged 18 to 74. Of these, 260 installed a special app on their phones to block all internet access for two weeks, but they could still access the internet using other devices such as tablets or laptops.

The trial lasted one month and was divided into two phases:

First group: Internet access blocked on their phones for the first two weeks.

Second group: Operated as the control group, then moved on to the internet blocking phase for 2 weeks.

Psychologist Adrian Ward from the University of Texas (USA) shared: "We don't block text messages or phone calls, so people can still contact their family and friends anytime, anywhere."

Although the experiment was designed not to completely disrupt the ability to communicate, many people still struggled to give up the habit of browsing the web on their phones.

Of the participants, only 119 enabled the internet blocking feature for at least 10 days, reducing their phone usage time from 314 minutes/day to 161 minutes/day.

The clear benefits of reducing phone use on mental health and concentration are evident.

Those who completed the experiment to reduce their phone usage time received several significant benefits, including:

- Improves happiness levels and mental health.

- Increases sustained focus, with an effect equivalent to reversing 10 years of age-related cognitive decline.

- Reduces symptoms of depression, with greater effectiveness than the average effect of antidepressants.

One of the key findings was that these positive effects persisted even after participants returned to using the internet on their phones.

For those who were blocked from the internet for the first two weeks, their mental health and happiness levels remained significantly higher even after four weeks.

Researchers suggest that this could be due to several positive factors arising from reduced internet usage on mobile phones, including:

- Increase offline activity time, giving them more hands-on experiences.

- Reduce reliance on social media and negative online content.

- Improved sleep quality due to reduced exposure to blue light at night.

- Increased real-life social connection helps improve mental well-being and a sense of self-reliance.

Even those who didn't completely stop using the internet on their phones reported noticing some benefits in the areas the study measured.

Any reduction in phone usage time is beneficial.

The findings from this study further reinforce results from previous studies, which have already shown a link between smartphone use and depression and anxiety.

Researcher Adrian Ward emphasized: "Our research shows that, no matter how much you cut back, any reduction in mobile internet use benefits mental health and concentration."

Therefore, if you want to improve your mood and enhance your focus, try limiting your online time on your phone, even if you continue using other devices. Just a small change can have a big positive impact.