The Phone Fix

What is really happening in your brain when you use your phone, and how to harness it.

Humans are often fearful of the day the world will be ruled by machines, but have they not already taken over? The average person spends 4–5 hours a day on their phone, about a third of the time they are awake. We self-interrupt our work and social lives, forgo sleep, procrastinate important tasks, and opt for digital distraction when we’re bored or feel uncomfortable.

NHS neurology doctor and neuroscientist Faye Begeti describes what is happening in our brain when we use our phones and why we have formed so many fixed and negative habits around them. She reflects on both deliberate choices and automatic behaviours, whilst also challenging myths around digital ‘addiction’, how dopamine actually works, and the harmfulness of blue light.

Rather than recommending a quick fix digital diet, or total abstinence—unviable for most people—The Phone Fix offers a practical guide, based on neuroscientific techniques, on building supportive digital habits. Technology is not inherently bad or frightening, and by better understanding what is happening in our brains, we can replenish our willpower and improve our focus, forming a healthier relationship with our phones—and therefore the real people around us.