Have you ever put down your phone with the goal of focusing on a task, only to pick it back up after a few minutes? You are not alone in your struggles.
A survey published in 2020 in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology, found that 29 per cent of the 575 Hong Kong adolescents surveyed reported using their mobile phones for a longer time than they intended.
Why is it such a challenge to stay off our devices? Whether it’s because of our favourite online games or the fear of missing out on what’s happening on social media, the difficulty of focusing seems like it is just part of modern life.
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But there could be more going on – for example, the dopamine loop. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the reward system in your brain that gives you pleasure.
According to Dr Anna Lembke, a psychiatry professor at Stanford University, social media is a quick way to feel human connection, which releases dopamine in our brains. It can come from seeing people like our posts, watching an endless supply of funny videos or scrolling through aesthetically pleasing content.
So when you have a phone that offers an endless loop of dopamine, it becomes difficult to focus on tasks that don’t provide the same instant gratification.
We talked to Katie Leung, a psychotherapist in Hong Kong, to learn more about social media’s effects on our brains.
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Social media use as a coping mechanism
While social media’s addictive qualities could be very distracting, Leung stressed that unhealthy social media use could also be a symptom of a deeper problem.
“The individual may have an internal struggle, and then social media use is a coping mechanism,” she said. “[They] might be suffering from bullying issues, self-confidence issues, perfectionism, or how they see themselves.”
Leung also highlighted that outside factors could influence how someone interprets what they see on social media.
“People who don’t have a good support system, they may look at a post and feel worse than they already have,” she said.
But she also acknowledged that the relationship could go both ways – mental health issues could drive you towards using social media, but social media could also worsen self-esteem and mental well-being.
Ultimately, Leung’s advice is to be introspective.
“Ask yourself: ‘Why am I doing this? Am I doing this to release some stress? Am I doing this for no reason?’” she suggested.
“And if those answers bother you, ask yourself, ‘Do I want to do anything about it?’”
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How to improve attention span
Aside from building strong relationships in real life and addressing your emotional and mental wellness, you can also try some practical tips to improve your focus.
“For those with a poor attention span, you just need to figure out what strategies work for you,” Leung said. “They just need more breaks and more strategies – different types of rewards, different types of study methods.”
“To start, come up with easy tasks and set really low expectations, or have others hold you accountable,” Leung recommended.
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To strengthen your attention span, it is best to stop multitasking and, instead, concentrate on one task at a time. Strategies such as the Pomodoro technique help the brain focus by taking short five-minute breaks every 25 minutes.
There are apps that help remind you to stay off your phone and give small rewards when you are successful.
Leung also pointed out that while “social media addiction” might not be formally recognised as a psychological disorder, it was still important to realise when social media use becomes unhealthy.
“If a problem impedes on your personal goals, it becomes a concern.”
