New research shows that restricting mobile internet access for two weeks makes people happier, healthier and more attentive. Discover the surprising benefits of disconnecting from the digital world and embracing life offline.
With 91% of Americans owning internet-enabled cellphones, the psychological impacts of constant connectivity are catching up. New research suggests that a simple yet powerful remedy for these modern anxieties exists: blocking mobile internet access.
The study, published in the journal PNAS Nexus, indicates that just two weeks without mobile internet can lead to marked improvements in mental health, subjective well-being and attention span.
“Smartphones have drastically changed our lives and behaviors over the past 15 years, but our basic human psychology remains the same,” co-author Adrian Ward, an associate professor of marketing in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a news release. “Our big question was, are we adapted to deal with constant connection to everything all the time? The data suggest that we are not.”
Ward, along with an interdisciplinary team from the University of Alberta, Georgetown University, Boston University and the University of British Columbia, conducted a four-week randomized controlled trial with 467 participants averaging 32 years of age.
The participants were instructed to install an app blocking all internet access except for calls and text messages on their smartphones. But they remained connected through computers at home, work and school.
The study divided the participants into two groups to observe the intervention’s effects over time. One group was internet-free for the first two weeks, regaining access afterward, while the second group went offline during the last two weeks.
Psychological functioning was measured through self-reports and computer-based tests throughout the trial.
The findings were compelling:
- A notable 91% of participants showed improvements in at least one area — mental health, subjective well-being or attention span.
- 71% of participants reported better mental health after the two-week internet hiatus compared to before. The improvement in depression symptoms was more significant than that noted in various studies on antidepressants.
- Attention spans were significantly better by an amount equivalent to reversing 10 years of age-related cognitive decline.
Ward explained that blocking mobile internet led participants to spend more time on offline activities, such as engaging in hobbies, socializing face-to-face and enjoying nature.
The participants also reported getting more sleep and feeling more socially connected and in control of their decisions.
“These effects on psychological functioning can be explained by how blocking the mobile internet affected participants’ daily lives,” according to Ward.
The study suggests an opportunity for marketers and employers alike.
According to Ward, consumers might appreciate technologies that help reduce their time online, such as subscription-based models that minimize distracting ads.
Employers could offer such apps to boost worker happiness and productivity, although Ward recommends that participation should be voluntary. Only 57% of study participants installed the app, and just a quarter completed the full two weeks offline.
“Maybe you put it to a vote, and people will choose to vote for it,” Ward added. “The fact that 80% of people think they use their phones too much suggests that maybe they will.”