Does smartphone usage cause weight gain?
Do you know that repeated checking of whats app & browsing on a smartphone may increase your weight? It’s possible that these devices are actually changing the brain, theorized lead author Richard Lopez, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Rice University in Houston.
In terms of weight, that could mean less self-control when fattening foods are at hand.
Researchers found that people who used their smartphones for more than five hours a day were 43 per cent more likely to be obese than those who scrolled for less time. They were also twice as likely to drink more sugary drinks and eat more fast food, sweets, and snacks. They were also less active, too.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20190411/is-your-smartphone-making-you-fat#
In simple terms, the Dopamine pathway gets repeatedly stimulated by the constant checking on the smartphone. The fatigue caused by repeated stimulation drains the motivation levels & thus, one feels bored. Now the brain needs to go for some higher forms of stimuli to beat the boredom. Thus our body craves for sugary foods, alcohol & other kinds of higher stimulation activities.
Even the low motivation makes the body less active, thus encouraging to stay indoors. It thus alters the digestion, sleep and many other biological processes, making them a bit sluggish. The mind gets drained by repeated stimulation; thus, it does not like going for bigger challenges in life.
As per researches, this repeated stimulation of Dopamine pathway takes away the excitement to daily chores in life, thus making us do something exciting. That’s the reason individuals who are less tech-savvy & no smartphones have comparatively more time for themselves & their friends. This repeated checking of WhatsApp, browsing youtube videos one after the other is building a new habit in us. Do you know what it is?
Yeah, the habit of jumping from one to other without given enough time to try. Did you ever try to build a small house watching a Youtube video or make any craft? Please try it. I tried building a hut. The 4-minute video took me almost 2 months & even now it’s incomplete.
Thus the smartphone is taking away our mental muscle called patience, which is the core for a healthy body, mind & deep relationship. That’s it. We keep jumping & jumping, thus losing the balance & clarity.
As they say, Patience is the mother of all virtues. It is thus impacting our health gradually.
Come let us build habits for healthy & happy minds…
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