How does technology affect mental health? Anxiety, self-esteem, dysmorphia,… – Online Psychologists

More and more people are noticing how their anxiety increases with each new notification on their mobile phone. More and more people are also reporting that Technology keeps us chainedtotally hooked on the stimuli that come from our cell phones, which generate a growing discomfort without which, apparently, it is impossible to live.

There are many who have related a dizzying increase in mental illness with the conquest of the smartphoneswho came into our lives to stay. And that is that New technologies have changed the way of life in many ways. It is true that they facilitate, if not communication, availability; it is true that they are sometimes an entertaining pastime; it is true that, in appearance, they facilitate the flow of information on a global level and seem to destroy borders in their path.

However, some experts are already warning that the doors that technology leaves open for progress are increasingly allowing regression to pass through. Constant communication, that availability that almost seems to be required twenty-four hours a day, is the result of Anxiety and depression, which in 2018 already affected 14.6% of the Spanish populationaccording to the National Institute of Statistics.

What, isolated to Spain, may seem like an epidemic has become a pandemic that is ravaging the entire world: 33.7% of the world's population suffered from depression or anxiety disorders In 2015, when the University Medical Center in Germany published the research entitled «Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st century«.

And not only are there more and more stress-related disorders, but they are appearing earlier and earlier: «50% of psychological problems begin before the age of 14»says a study on anxiety in the youngest, carried out by the Department of Psychology of the University of Jaén in 2018. It is not strange considering that today's teenagers are the first generation that grew up hand in hand with the smartphones and therefore one of the most vulnerable to its influence.

Applications like Instagram or Facebook have transformed communication in an exchange of positive reinforcements without which many cannot live peacefully. social media addictionlike any other addiction, has a strong impact on the development of other mental problems: for example, there is already research that relates the amount of time spent on Instagram with the number of probabilities of developing an eating disorder such as orthorexia.

Social media has changed the way we see the world, both on a small and large scale. For example, the speed with which news spreads fake news on Facebook (up to six times faster than true information) and the ease with which it brings together like-minded individuals, fostering creation of extremist groupshave changed the course of events on many occasions. But not only that, social networks can even change the way we look in the mirror: Body Dysmorphic Disorderwhich causes an obsession with physical defects that are not always real, seems to be closely linked to the rise in popularity of Snapchat and Instagram filters. As this disorder grows, so do cosmetic surgeries, which have seen an increase of more than 40% between 2016 and 2019.

More and more experts agree on their answer: yes, new technologies and social networks have made their way into every aspect of your life. Many of those who helped create tech giants like Google and Facebook are also convinced of this: in 2018, a handful of former employees of the largest technology companies joined the Center for Humane Technologya non-profit organization that, as its name suggests, advocates for a more humane technology and, to do so, aims to raise awareness about the devastating consequences that the misuse of technology has on health.

According to the Center for Humane Technology, these are some of the areas that are affected by new technologies:

The way you consume information conditions your vision of the world: Your feelings, your concerns and even the way you behave are inevitably affected by the news you receive.

Social media changes your perception of the world exterior through two mechanisms: first, They bring you closer to those who are most similar to youwhether ideologically or demographically, which encourages a narrow view of current issues; the more you close yourself off in your circle, the more difficult it will be for you to identify the problems that affect those who are different from you, so you will practice empathy less and less.

Secondly, it has been shown that in those social networks focused on the dissemination of information, such as Twitter or Facebook, lFake news and bots They reach a speed much greater than that achieved by the information itself. Misinformation distorts your worldview and can create concerns that are not even real: for example, throughout the coronavirus pandemic, false information has been spread regarding the reliability of the vaccine, which has mobilized certain sectors of the population against the cure for Covid-19.

In addition, these types of messages contain a much greater emotional charge than news that disseminate true information, so They cause a greater impact and generate greater concern which leads the reader to share it more quickly.

Screens that light up with every new message, red signals every time you receive a notification, vibration or annoying sounds are just some of the mechanisms through which new technologies try to capture your attention. The content is becoming shorter and more striking, because the phone constantly pushes you to change applications to receive new pleasurable stimuli. And so, more and more, it goes undermining your cognitive abilities and lowering your productivity levels.

A study published by the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research showed that the presence of the mobile phone, even when you know it is off, affects memory and problem-solving abilities.

Social media influences hundreds of factors related to both physical and mental health.

For example, if your social media constantly bombards you with messages related to alcohol consumption, you are more likely to increase your alcohol intake. But social media doesn't just have the ability to increase addiction to harmful substances for your health; there are more and more cases of people addicted to their social networks, who experience anxiety if they do not check their mobile phone from time to time.

While the stimuli emitted by social networks may give you momentary pleasure, being hooked on them can be as harmful as any other addiction. A study by the American Economic Review revealed that Spending a month away from Facebook produces an increase in emotional well-being and happiness.

If you think that social media addiction may be seriously affecting your life, at we have a team of psychologists ready to help you.

Have you ever felt ignored when you were with someone you loved? Or, on the contrary, have you ever ignored a friend or family member because they were checking their phone? If the answer is yes, you are not alone: ​​a study on child development found that mobile phone use dominated the time that 50% of parents spent with their children. Other studies reveal that Almost 90% of people with mobile phones check them during social gatherings.

This disconnection with those in front of you causes trust and emotional ties to be reduced.considerably cooling relationships with those around us. In others, being ignored because of the mobile phone produces feelings of anguish and unhappiness.

While working as an ethical designer for Google, Tristan Harris began to denounce the lack of ethics of large technology companies through the movement «Time well spent»which encouraged tech giants to use their platforms for the benefit of all. After leaving Google, he founded the Center for Humane Technology.

A year earlier, in 2017, I outlined the three changes that must be made to put an end to the harmful influence of technology:

In order to put an end to any problem, you must first be aware that the problem exists. Don't try to deny reality:New technologies have taken control of a large part of your life, they have changed your way of thinking, your free time, your relationships and even your way of being. If you want to put a stop to this, then you must analyse how you use your devices, and then take control over them.

From the Center for Humane Technology, they promote a series of Technology-related habits that can help you take control: turning off notifications, downloading apps that can help you organize your time, sleep better and change your habits, deleting or drastically limiting the time you spend on apps that you are addicted to, supporting good journalism, unfollowing voices of outrage on social media and starting to follow people you don't agree with are just some of the practices you can put in place to protect yourself from social media.

Although individual actions can help you escape the pernicious influence of new technologies, change at a global level will not be possible without the collaboration of large companies.

Tristan Harris calls on the owners of the largest technology companies: technology must be one with society and seek the common good. People who control millions of people through new technologies must have a exemplary ethical behavior and ensure the well-being of each and every consumer.

Not only must the intention behind the technology be good, but…