Why our screens make us less happy | Adam Alter

What are our screens and devices doing to us? Psychologist Adam Alter has spent the last five years studying how much time screens steal from us and how they're getting away with it. He shares why all those hours you spend staring at your smartphone, tablet or computer might be making you miserable -- and what you can do about it.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.

[foreverMelloYT]

I like the fact that he doesn't discredit screens, but shares how screens are causing a lot of us to miss the experience of living in the moment.

[zap]

Good thing I'm watching this on my toaster.

[rainyday]

I'm literally amazed by his speech and the way he explains his ideas. He hits the nail on the head!
Every time I quit my social media usage I feel the same. He's right. I perceive how I've wasted my time on useless news, posts, comments before quitting. My life becomes more precious, productive, invaluable and I wonder how much time actually I have in a day :) Time is not flying when we stop using social networks, guys :)

[max]

I noticed my mental health has a direct correlation to the amount of screen time I do in a day. If I’m at 6 hours, I’ll be terribly anxiety ridden. If I’m at 2, I’ll be iffy but manageable. If I don’t use it, I feel entirely calm.

[jl]

I'm so glad o see a TED talk that does'nt include 10 minutes of gibberish talk in the beginning. Well done.

[Spaghetti_WARLORD]

Me:*literally dying*
Mom: it’s because of that phone

[edi]

Great talk, but he forgot to mention three important effects:
1) they hurt our attention span. For many every minute of silence is pain. They forgot how to relax, self-reflect and do something creative.
2) if you can google it in 30s, you probably won't remember it. It ruins our learning, since we tend to look things up rather than try to reconstruct them out of our memories, or solving them ourselves
3) kids need to go out, discover the world, fight their boredom with play, and discover their own limitations (can I climb this, can I jump down?). Playing only PC-games takes a lot of the development away.

[sallysirr]

Don't let your screen rob your personal time! Do it at work instead!

[chaseofearth]

I spend way more than 27 minutes a day out YouTube...

[ImGonnaShout]

I've been thinking about this for a long time. As a Msc graduating student I spend 90% of my time studying and the other 10% on YouTube on my phone and it's gradually making me miserable but I'm not able to stop so long as my phone's there. It's addicting. Right now I'm too busy to take action but when my life situation gets more stable I want to cut my bonds to social media and YouTube.

[JustinStLouis-jmzn]

I wonder just how many miles ive scrolled with my thumb 🤔

[petrinawilmot]

I've used my phone for 30 minutes a day for the last 3 months and life becomes so much more meaningful to me

[davekilby]

The funny thing is that this isn't one of the most stimulating or amazing TED talks I've seen, but Adam's book 'Irresistible' is far more in-depth and interesting than anything I've seen on TED... proving Adam's point that it's better to immerse yourself in a real experience than greedily treat yourself to instant hits of gratification via the internet.

[clarenceparkeriii]

Why high school and college make us less happy.

[isabellakastamonitis]

Very insightful! It isn't necessarily the screens that are bad, but the way people use them and the amount of time people spend on them. It's all about balance.

[veronikahaidukevich]

I've deleted all the social networks a few weeks ago, i have only 2 that i use for my work. (i don't read news there/can't see any posts, only for messaging with my colleagues and employers). I have to use the screens a lot for my work. So I think having a me-time without any screens is a wonderful idea! It's 100% true that we spend time using the apps that make us unhappy.

[Jenkkimie]

One of the things I often tell to my therapy clients who spend a lot of time in front of screens to decrease that time. I love technology every bit as the next person does, yet it doesn't come without its costs and people seldom stop to think about how technology can be influencing how they are feeling.

I think a good rule is to for people to bring back the idea that it is sometimes okay to be disconnected from the online social media world. When you go out with your friends, how about having a no-cellphone rule? If someone calls you, tell them you will call them back later unless it is a complete emergency. If someone texts you, you do not always have to answer it immediately.

These days people are all over the place with technology and social media, so is it any wonder people also report they feel a sense of shallowness and emptiness in their life. The best way to identify an addiction is to ask yourself if you control the consumption, or if the consumption controls you.

[svintellect]

I’m literally in a zoom meeting with this guy rn. Talking about his book

[TeamJolie]

I discovered Adam Alter a few days ago, I was listening some interview while exercising. Usually, I put something just for half an hour while exercising and then I stop. But his interview was amazing!!! I almost exercised more than half an hour, haha, I kept listening even after I was done. And the interview was like an hour and 40 min long. The amazing thing is that he's not telling common sense out of common sense point, he's actually telling common sense, but having scientific research behind it. And also, he is amazing talker. I saw he has couple of books, and I am going to buy them. I actually don't remember when the last time I bumped into someone so interesting and inspiring in a way over YouTube.

[totumcorpusevolvit]

I wish my parents wouldn't let my six year old brother be on their phones at such a young age. However, my parents are hard working people and most of the time when they get home they are really tired and the only way to entertain the kid is to let him use the phone or the tv. I'm also busy most of the time. I try to tell them that they should find apps that are actually of some intellectual value for the kid. Any thoughts?