Smartphones
have become an indispensable part of our lives. However, excessive smartphone
use can lead to decreased memory and concentration, resulting in symptoms
similar to dementia. This is when an excess of online time causes your brain to
forget more relevant information and is known as "smartphone
dementia" or “digital dementia”.
Excessive
smartphone use can lead to information overload in the brain, making it
difficult to effectively organize and store memories. As a result, important
memories can become "drowned" in a cluttered mental space.
In
other words, your frontal lobe becomes a mess of trivial information, making it
hard to access the important things in life. As a result, the smartphone
dementia sufferer experiences symptoms similar to an actual dementia sufferer,
with the exception that a person with smartphone dementia still retains the
cognitive ability to be aware of it. The other main differences are that
smartphone dementia can affect people of all ages and can be reversible with the
right treatment.
The
Kanamachi Station Neurology Clinic in Tokyo in June this year opened the first
"Smartphone Dementia Outpatient Service" in Japan. This service
specifically targets patients who experience significant declines in memory and
concentration due to prolonged smartphone usage. This is the first clinic
to offer a smartphone dementia program to help people use their devices in ways
that do not diminish their quality of life.
Dr.
Katsuyuki Uchino, the director of the clinic, noted that the outpatient service
sees about 10 patients daily, primarily aged between 30 and 40.
Most
come in with concerns about memory loss, forgetting appointments or work tasks,
having trouble recalling people’s names quickly, having to take photos of
things to remember them, always feeling sleep deprived, lacking motivation, and
poor organizational skills for everyday tasks and difficulties writing kanji
characters (akin to forgetting how to spell in English).
Uchino
stated, "Endlessly scrolling through a smartphone has the greatest impact
on the brain. Even spending just one hour on your phone before bed can make
some individuals feel anxious about their declining memory."
He
recommends actively limiting aimless smartphone use to no more than one hour
per day and avoiding bringing phones into the bedroom, suggesting the use of an
alarm clock instead.
Uchino
also pointed out that over-reliance on smartphones not only affects memory but
can also lead to autonomic nervous system disorders and depression, ultimately
progressing to true dementia.
“When
you mindlessly scroll through your smartphone, your brain becomes overloaded
with information. Time spent zoning out is important for organizing memory, but
with no time for that, the brain becomes cluttered with random information,
making it difficult to retrieve memories. It’s like your brain turns into a
messy house, leading to things like forgetting names or appointments.”
Treatment
depends on a patient’s current smartphone usage habits and mental condition,
based on an interview and dementia tests if necessary. It can vary from simple
lifestyle alterations to medication as needed.
Whether
you require the help of medical professionals or not, the key lesson to stave
off smartphone dementia is to take enough time away from your phone or other
devices to savor the finer things in life. If the smartphone is never put
down, memories can never be properly "reset".
Then,
how about if people use computers and smartphones for work all day?
“If
the information is gathered with a clear purpose and intention, it can be
processed by the user. So there’s no need to worry when using devices for
work.”
