This article was written in English, and you can find the Korean translation at the link below.
(본 글은 영어로 작성되었으며, 아래 링크로 한글 번역글을 확인하실 수 있습니다.)
An increasing number of modern individuals are feeling a secret sense of anxiety due to symptoms of digital dementia and memory decline, where they cannot easily recall the phone number of their best friend or even the lunch menu they ate yesterday. As smartphone dependency increases, entirely outsourcing the brain’s memory storage function to devices leads to smartphone side effects where the actual storage capacity of the brain degenerates. In this guide, we diagnose digital dementia, a common ailment among modern people exhausted by information overload, and present three core action steps to regain brain rest and memory through digital detox.
The Crisis of Modern People Outsourcing Memory Storage to Smartphones
Since the advent of smartphones, we have lived lives where we no longer make an effort to remember anything, which is a very serious warning sign from a brain science perspective. “Digital Dementia” refers to a phenomenon where memory or calculation abilities are significantly reduced as a result of excessive reliance on digital devices such as smartphones or tablets. In the past, people memorized dozens of phone numbers of family and friends and found their way around without navigation, but now many find their daily lives paralyzed without devices. Such media addiction and information overload go beyond simple forgetfulness, causing a weakening of the hippocampus function, which converts short-term memories into long-term memories in the brain. Because the brain has a characteristic of degenerating areas that are not used, relying only on search engines and failing to cultivate the power to think on one’s own consolidates youth forgetfulness. Consequently, one faces fatal smartphone side effects, such as attention deficit disorders, reduced work efficiency, and repeatedly forgetting important appointments in daily life. Therefore, you must revive broken memory circuits by controlling screen time and practicing brain training and digital wellness habits that induce brain recovery. Below, we will guide you in detail through three step-by-step action rules for memory enhancement and digital detox that you can easily follow in your daily life.
3 Action Steps for Escaping Digital Dementia and Enhancing Memory
Step 1: ‘Agonize to Remember on Your Own for 30 Seconds’ Before Searching
The habit of immediately opening a search bar when there is something you are curious about or a word you cannot remember is a shortcut to completely silencing the brain’s search flexibility and memory circuits. From now on, when necessary information does not come to mind, do not turn on your smartphone right away; close your eyes and try to retrace your memories on your own for at least 30 seconds. The process of struggling to pull the name of a person you met yesterday, the name of a restaurant you went to last week, or the meaning of a specific word out of the brain’s memory storage is excellent brain training. This 30 seconds of agony stimulates the neuroplasticity of the brain, making the halted hippocampus work again, and becomes the most powerful defensive wall against digital dementia.
Step 2: Awaken Your Analog Senses, ‘Handwrite Important Contacts and Schedules Yourself’
Storing all contacts and schedules only in smartphone calendars and address books is an action that does not help brain health management at all. Try memorizing at least three core phone numbers of family or close friends by writing them directly on paper, and record important daily schedules in handwriting in an analog notebook. The act of writing characters using the fine senses of your fingertips extensively stimulates the prefrontal cortex of the brain, contributing greatly to consolidating short-term memories into long-term memories. Unlike touching a digital screen, the analog experience of scratching notes on paper induces brain rest and dramatically increases information cognition abilities.
Step 3: ‘Drive Relying Solely on Signs and Memory for Familiar Roads’ Without Navigation
Habitually turning on a navigation app even when moving along a familiar route during a daily commute is a primary culprit behind the degeneration of spatial memory abilities. At least twice a week, boldly turn off the navigation when taking a road you know, and practice finding your way to the destination relying only on your own memory and road signs. Activities that perceive space and grab directions activate the area responsible for spatial working memory in the brain, preventing an overall decline in brain function. In the process of searching for roads directly and perceiving the surrounding scenery, the brain escapes from the state of smartphone addiction and regains actively living and moving senses.
A 3-Minute Checklist for Successful Memory Circuit Restoration
At the end of the day, review the checklist below to check how well you have practiced digital detox today.
- When there was a word or information you couldn’t remember, did you make an effort to recall it yourself instead of searching immediately on portal sites?
- Did you completely recall or attempt to memorize the phone numbers or birthdays of people around you whom you contact frequently without device help?
- Did you write down today’s important schedules or things to do by hand in a paper notepad or diary instead of using smartphone notifications?
- When moving along familiar roads or alleys that you always visit, did you find your way without turning on smartphone navigation or map apps?
- When simple arithmetic or calculations were needed, did you solve them through mental arithmetic first before running a smartphone calculator app?
ripple point
The more we outsource our memory to digital devices, the lazier our brains become. The habit of thinking for just 30 seconds before searching saves the brain from digital dementia.
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