We all know that we should spend less time staring at our phones.
Too much screen time has been linked to depression, anxiety and poor sleep quality. But many of our favorite apps and online platforms are designed to keep us hooked.
One way to start creating healthier boundaries between you and your phone is to pick up a book on the topic. A physical copy has the added benefit of taking us offline, but digital versions are just as useful: They can teach us about how screen addiction works, how apps keep us engaged and how we can find more balance.
We asked researchers and therapists about their favorite books on disconnecting from tech. These five titles — some considered classics — have consistently proven helpful, even as technology keeps evolving.
‘Irresistible’ by Adam Alter
In this 2017 book, Adam Alter, a marketing professor at New York University, explores the business side of digital fixation, unpacking how companies design products that hold our gazes.
Dr. Alter presents a wide range of examples, including Facebook’s decision to test the “like” button, a feature that taps into our need for comfort when we feel lonely.
Ultimately, “Irresistible” recasts compulsive scrolling as a behavioral addiction, said Yunyu Xiao, an assistant professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Addiction to technology “doesn’t involve directly introducing chemicals to your system,” Dr. Alter wrote in the book, but it can produce the same effects. “Irresistible” lays out how this works, hoping it will help readers curb the habit.
‘How to Break Up With Your Phone’ by Catherine Price
This book aims to break down our fraught relationship with phones, said Mollie Candib, a therapist in New York City. “Scrolling on social media, you might see a post about a friend’s wedding, followed by a post about someone’s loss, then a recipe you want to try, a funny video, a cute puppy,” she said.
By pulling our attention in several directions, our phones make mindfulness more difficult, Ms. Candib explained. But this 2018 book provides a road map to help us disconnect, she said.
Catherine Price, a science journalist and founder of the community Screen/Life Balance, shares simple steps — like tracking how many times you pick up your phone and pausing before you unlock it — to help you create some distance.
Her 30-day action plan “really meets people where they are,” Ms. Candib said.
‘Dopamine Nation’ by Anna Lembke
Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist at Stanford, explores how scrolling on our devices can cause the release of dopamine, a brain chemical that makes things feel pleasurable and rewarding.
Not only does the book break down how technology taps into the brain’s reward system, Dr. Xiao said, but it also provides tools to help combat the feeling. Dr. Lembke suggests strategies like designating laptops for separate purposes, such as one for work and one for personal use.
She also promotes “radical honesty,” which includes acknowledging our dependencies and finding alternative ways to get our dopamine fix.
Much like “Irresistible,” this 2021 book takes the blame off individual users. Sally Gainsbury, director of the gambling treatment and research clinic at the University of Sydney, said it explored how our favorite products “hijack our reward-seeking pathways,” encouraging us to stay engaged.
Our dependence, she added, isn’t “a matter of weakness or lack of willpower.”
‘Digital Minimalism’ by Cal Newport
Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown, argues that quick fixes for disconnection aren’t effective, but neither is complete abstinence.
In this 2019 book, he presents a path to becoming more deliberate about how we use technology. He provides examples of how “digital minimalists” regain focus and cites long-term studies showing that short breaks can reduce depression and anxiety, Dr. Xiao said.
Then Dr. Newport lays out a 30-day tech decluttering plan: Readers completely cut out what he calls “optional technology” like social media, game apps or devices used during leisure time. After 30 days, they can slowly, intentionally, reintroduce the products that they determine add real value to their lives.
‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle
While other books focus on what happens while we are online, Dr. Xiao said she appreciated how this 2015 title explores the consequences of our behavior. We lose our ability to enjoy solitude, she said; we lose our ability to empathize with others.
Using anecdotes from parents, educators and students, Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and sociologist at M.I.T., shows how the deterioration of conversation leads to loneliness. Setting limits on tech use and protecting spaces for real conversation can stave this off. But face-to-face conversation, she argues, is paramount.
“Her point,” Dr. Xiao said, “is to build more offline connections.”
The post Need a Break from Your Phone? These Books Can Help. appeared first on New York Times.
