Stress is a killer. So much so, that historically, the difference in life expectancy between men and women has been boiled down to accumulated life stress. In fact, researchers have found that living a maximum stress life compared to a low-stress life can result in as much as 33 years' worth of difference in one’s life expectancy.
Recent, research demonstrates that it isn’t just the blue screen effect of smartphones in bed that could delay our ability to fall asleep, it was the stress we commonly felt when we were using it. On that note comes a new study connecting additional dots.
Cortisol is the stress hormone. What do you think the most common outcome is when we look at our phones? According to a study in Science Direct, it’s a rush of cortisol. That’s right, the most common feeling we get when using our phones is stress. Now, the reason we do it, as the study points out, is that it’s also met with bouts of dopamine, the chemical reaction that’s satisfying to us. That’s what keeps us coming back for more. But from the study, it’s clear that this pattern of cortisol and dopamine adds considerable stress to our lives. The average smartphone owner now accesses their phone for nearly four hours per day. That’s a lot of additional stress in our lives. Stress that in time can kill us.
So, here’s the question. Will you do anything about it? I suspect not which proves how addictive phones are and how compelling the hits of dopamine are to us.
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