Have you ever 'unplugged'?
Also known as 'digital detox' or 'media refusal', the term describes the growing trend to spend an often well-defined amount of time away from social media, phones or laptops in an effort to reduce stress and improve wellbeing.
There's now even a yearly 'National Day of Unplugging' that takes place in March. A day to unplug, unwind, relax, and do things other than using today's technology, electronics and social media.
More recently, unplugging holiday offerings have been popping up around the UK - getaways which aim to help city dwellers escape the digital grind. Essentially a luxury version of camping, these cabin-in-the-woods type escapes variously involve locking phones and laptops away in boxes for the weekend or even living completely off-grid.
Studies have found that feeling addicted to online ways of communicating is a common reason for wanting to unplug in these ways. But do digital detoxes really help with our mental health, stress and burnout?
The evidence so far is surprisingly mixed.
Concern around the negative impacts of computers, smartphones and social media has been rising ever since they began to become ubiquitous. It has become so great that even the Silicon Valley technology professionals who created social media are disconnecting, and even inventing new technologies to help them do this.
There are a large number of studies looking at the effects of these technologies on us. For example, research has shown that checking email less frequently can reduce stress, and studies have linked Facebook use with lower wellbeing. Smartphone use, in particular, has given rise to concerns over health impacts, especially due to the constant receipt of notifications and updates, which can also impact sleep.
In fact, studies have shown that just the presence of a mobile phone can reduce important psychological qualities of our experiences, even if you aren't using it, says Karla Klein Murdock, professor of cognitive and behavioural science at Washington and Lee University.
Research also shows attempting to multi-task with mobile phones leads to compromises in psychological functioning especially when it comes to learning, she adds.
There's also the question of what we lose when we spend lots of time on digital devices. The results from one recent study suggest we tend to underestimate the enjoyment we actually get from simply sitting and thinking.
So, does unplugging really help? When it comes to the evidence of the benefits of abstaining from social media or smartphones, the picture quickly gets muddy, however. One recent study, for example, found taking a break from social media had no measurable positive effect on wellbeing.
Dr Jeffrey Lambert, a lecturer in health and exercise psychology at the University of Bath, says he hears terms like unplugging and digital detox come up more and more, but often they mean different things.
"When you start digging into the detail of studies, you see that researchers are using different terminology or defining social media use or technology use in different ways," he says. "There's a lot of debate around what we even mean by social media."
But there is some evidence that taking technology breaks, especially breaks from social media, could have positive impacts.
In a study published last year, Lambert and his colleagues looked at the effects of taking a break from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and found a favourable effect on wellbeing, depression and anxiety compared to a control group who continued with normal social media use.
Several other experimental studies have illustrated the psychological benefits of unplugging, adds Klein Murdock. In one study, participants asked to abstain from social media use for a week were found to have higher mental wellbeing and social connectedness and lower Fear of Missing Out (or FOMO).
Elsewhere, a recent paper from University College London (UCL) researchers reviewing a selection of previously published papers found some evidence overall that higher social media use is related to poorer mental wellbeing.
It also concluded there is some evidence that interventions in social media use are effective in improving mental wellbeing, especially for depression and when used alongside therapy-based interventions.
"They found that, generally, people coming off social media, or taking a break from it, does seem to lead overall to better wellbeing," says Lambert.
The big caveat, he adds, is that studies in the area tend to have quite poor quality and also use university student participants rather than people with diagnosed levels of depression or anxiety.
Of course, the unplugging holiday trend also involves spending time in nature, and there's significant evidence that this leads to higher levels of well-being and better mental health. One study published in 2018 found a link between higher mobile phone use and a lower connection to nature.
"Since both of these qualities are linked with lower wellbeing, there may be additive benefits of unplugging to spend time in nature," says Klein Murdock.
Ultimately, far more research is needed to unravel the complexities of the pros and cons of the increasing intrusion of smartphones and social media in our lives. After all, studies have also shown many people feel they get many positives from their use, notes Lambert, such as higher feelings of social capital or life satisfaction.
Experts have also pointed out the historic tendency for widespread concerns and even panic to emerge around new technologies we now consider mundane, from novels and household radios to horror films.
"Just like everything in life, it's a nuanced issue," says Lambert. "For now, he advises people to simply try out different things to see if they work for them. I think a lot of the answers are sometimes kind of within us anyway, in terms of what we think might help us."
About our experts, Prof Karla Klein Murdock and Dr Jeffrey Lambert
Karla Klein Murdock is a professor of cognitive and behavioural science at Washing and Lee University, where her work if focussed on how stressful experiences can influence the development of psychosocial problem.
Her research has been published in journals such as Journal of Clinical and Social Psychology, Psychology of Popular Media Culture, and Journal of Adolescence.
Dr Jeffrey Lambert is a lecturer in health and exercise psychology at the Department for Health at the University of Bath. His work is focussed on studying how behaviour is affected to physical and mental health issues and has been published in the journals Mental Health and Physical Activity and International Journal of Disabilities Sports and Health Sciences.
