Struggling to read a book, sit through a meal without checking your phone, or resist the urge to scroll during a pause in conversation? You’re not alone.
Internet brain is making us all dumber.
Here’s why it’s happening—and what to do about it:
Internet brain is making us all dumber.
Here’s why it’s happening—and what to do about it:
Our phones are like slot machines.
Every time you swipe to see if you received a notification, like, DM, or news ping you’re pulling that lever.
Sometimes you win—someone likes your post, sends you a funny reel, or you learn something super important.
But most times you don’t. And that’s the point.
Decades of research show that intermittent rewards are far more addictive than predictable ones.
Every time you swipe to see if you received a notification, like, DM, or news ping you’re pulling that lever.
Sometimes you win—someone likes your post, sends you a funny reel, or you learn something super important.
But most times you don’t. And that’s the point.
Decades of research show that intermittent rewards are far more addictive than predictable ones.
The reward isn’t just digital—it’s existential.
It says: You matter. You exist. You're seen.
And so we check again.
And again. And again.
It fractures and fragments our attention, and our very sense of self.
We become less who we are—and more what the algorithm reflects back at us.
It says: You matter. You exist. You're seen.
And so we check again.
And again. And again.
It fractures and fragments our attention, and our very sense of self.
We become less who we are—and more what the algorithm reflects back at us.
Research shows that multitasking and info-overload dysregulates our nervous systems.
You get constant hits of novelty and stress, but no meaningful outlet for action.
It’s like one of those experiments where a mouse gets shocked repeatedly, but can’t do anything about it and eventually succumbs to chronic fatigue.
We are all becoming the mouse.
You get constant hits of novelty and stress, but no meaningful outlet for action.
It’s like one of those experiments where a mouse gets shocked repeatedly, but can’t do anything about it and eventually succumbs to chronic fatigue.
We are all becoming the mouse.
No one is coming to save you from internet brain.
The greatest risk of modern overload is that we give up on thinking for ourselves altogether. Instead, we go wherever the current takes us, like automatons floating along an algorithmic conveyor belt.
The only thing that separates us from this dystopia is ourselves. Our agency—our pressence, our capacity to love, think, and create—must be exerted, not outsourced.
The greatest risk of modern overload is that we give up on thinking for ourselves altogether. Instead, we go wherever the current takes us, like automatons floating along an algorithmic conveyor belt.
The only thing that separates us from this dystopia is ourselves. Our agency—our pressence, our capacity to love, think, and create—must be exerted, not outsourced.
Want to reclaim some sovereignty?
Start here: Out of sight, out of mind.
Studies show that even a silenced phone, face down, interrupts attention, focus, recall, and the experience of connection—with work, with yourself, and with other people.
Even resisting the urge to check
drains mental energy.
The best fix? Remove the phone entirely during blocks of deep-focus work, time with loved ones, and other activities you deem meaningful.
Start here: Out of sight, out of mind.
Studies show that even a silenced phone, face down, interrupts attention, focus, recall, and the experience of connection—with work, with yourself, and with other people.
Even resisting the urge to check
drains mental energy.
The best fix? Remove the phone entirely during blocks of deep-focus work, time with loved ones, and other activities you deem meaningful.
Leave your phone out of your bedroom.
Studies show phones near your bed lower sleep quality and increase anxiety.
Put it in another room. Yes, really.
Even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
Need an alarm? Get an analog one. Worried about emergencies? Turn the ringer on loud or get a cheap flip phone just for that purpose.
Protect your brain like it’s sacred. Because it is.
Studies show phones near your bed lower sleep quality and increase anxiety.
Put it in another room. Yes, really.
Even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
Need an alarm? Get an analog one. Worried about emergencies? Turn the ringer on loud or get a cheap flip phone just for that purpose.
Protect your brain like it’s sacred. Because it is.
This isn’t Luddite advice. It’s human advice.
You can still use tech. But use it on your terms. You want to own it, not have it own you.
Take a digital sabbath. Go for a walk without your phone. Read a book. Be bored.
The world makes it harder than ever to focus. That’s exactly why you must.
Knowing the risks of internet brain and building your focus is not only a competitive advantage; it’s key to a good life.
You can still use tech. But use it on your terms. You want to own it, not have it own you.
Take a digital sabbath. Go for a walk without your phone. Read a book. Be bored.
The world makes it harder than ever to focus. That’s exactly why you must.
Knowing the risks of internet brain and building your focus is not only a competitive advantage; it’s key to a good life.
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