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.
