We said let's dig a little deeper and see not how you'll do your body good but how you won't do it harm. Let's start with the obvious.
The computer is bad for you. In many ways. It keeps you glued to your chair for hours in a tell-me-if-you-would-sit-for-so-long-without-it kind of way. It's the perfect occupation. The perfect rot. I mean, only couch rot can compare to chair rot. And that's why I'm not sure.
After hours and hours and years, musculoskeletal pain, vision problems, carpal tunnel syndrome and a whole host of problems begin. Which are only partially solved by correcting the position and better furniture. Sometimes they end up in surgery.
And say that these are known and documented. What do we know about the problems it causes to your mental health? That's what we said to look into today and do some digging considering that changing your mood from using a computer has to do with your general health. Even not being able to sleep can prove to be extremely harmful.
It destroys the creative process
What you're at risk of: Constantly engaging with social media and the internet is effective when you want to do your work or stay informed, but it interrupts the creative process.
Who says it: Various psychologists who link introversion to creativity. Usually creative people are extroverted but only to the extent necessary to exchange ideas. They are basically more introverted, which is associated with the creative process. The electronic media environment is not conducive to introversion.
Artists, musicians and writers agree with them. And Steve Wozniak, one of the co-founders of Apple, agrees with them: “Most inventors live in their minds. They are like artists. And artists work best alone. Work alone. Not in a team, not in a committee.”
Should you worry? It sounds logical. As media grows, so does the amount of work on it. It takes less time to do a job, but more work is done overall: logins, status updates, uploads, account creations. It makes sense that social media doesn't require much concentration to use and therefore gets "mixed" with other creative activities that require more focus.
It changes the way you think
What you're at risk of: Using computers changes the use of language. And changing language is an indication of changing the way you think.
Who says so? Kyle Jasmin from the University of College London, in the Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. She has found that words that have more characters on the right side of a qwerty keyboard are perceived more positively. Qwerty keyboards have been around for a long time but are now more common. Joan Lee from the University agrees with her, saying that computer use reduces linguistic richness and the ability to interpret words. We simply skip over many that we don't understand.
Should you worry? Since two academics say so, I guess so. It doesn't sound like the end of the world, but language and thought go hand in hand.
Insomnia
What you're at risk of: Using a computer, smartphones, and television affects melatonin production, circadian rhythm, and prevents deep, restorative sleep.
Who says it: Sara Thomée from the University of Gothenburg, who found that computer use is linked to increased levels of stress and insomnia. The symptoms were more pronounced with a combination of heavy computer and mobile phone use. Randy Nelson from Ohio State University came to the same conclusion, finding that the type of radiation emitted by tablets and computers is particularly dangerous for sleep.
Should you be worried? I wish you well. Things are very serious here.
Depression
What you're at risk of: Using computers, tablets, and bright screens at night increases the risk of depression due to the type of radiation they emit.
Who says it: Samer Hattar from Johns Hopkins University says it in the journal Nature. Because he sat down and found that the same type of radiation that tablets and laptops emit can cause depression regardless of sleep disorders. He has found that this radiation affects mood and learning ability. The first is particularly serious because it is related to how well you function during the day. Thomée S, Härenstam A, Hagberg M also come to the same conclusion, arguing that there is a question of reduced performance.
Should you be concerned? There is some older research that suggests that using a computer for more than five hours a day can cause symptoms of depression. This research was done on mice, and more research is needed. So nothing is confirmed. But the evidence that is slowly coming out is strong.
Perception of reality
What you're at risk of: Excessive checking of emails and electronic communication during off-office hours burns out your brain.
Who says it: Dr. Emma Russell from Kingston Business School in Science Daily, who found that people who check their emails outside of office hours feel obligated to respond and end up seeing ghosts. That is, that their phone rang without actually ringing.
Should you be concerned? It's not hardcore science (the study was conducted on 28 people and is simply statistical), but the validity of the reports is not in doubt. We're waiting on this part.
Source: oneman.gr
