Smartphones, Boredom, and Creatitivity

[albionmoonlight]

I've been reading some speculation about how much creativity, self-reflection, inspiration, etc. starts from a position of boredom. Giving the brain a chance to freelance is not a bad thing.

But, with smartphones, it is much harder to be bored. Or, to put it differently, at the onset of boredom, we simply start playing a game, or checking email, or browsing the internet.

So, I've started trying to limit my smartphone use--using it when I have a specific task to accomplish instead of simply going to it when I am bored.

And I've found it hard. Until I stopped doing it, I didn't realize how many little breaks during the day were taken up by scanning a smartphone. Waiting in line. Waiting for the kid to dress himself. Etc. etc. etc.

And, it has been much harder than I thought to simply not grab the phone during those breaks and to let my brain just go.

So, similar experiences? Do y'all agree that allowing boredom is a good idea? Have you set similar limits on smartphone use?

FWIW, I have not felt any more or less "creative" since getting a smartphone or since deciding to use it less. So I really don't know about the tangible benefits of it from that end. But it has felt nice to be less connected and to have a bit more space in my own head.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

FWIW, I have not felt any more or less "creative" since getting a smartphone or since deciding to use it less. So I really don't know about the tangible benefits of it from that end. But it has felt nice to be less connected and to have a bit more space in my own head.

I think this is more of a long term thing - I agree with your theory that less boredom may lead to less creativity, I just think it's something that won't manifest itself immediately.

I forgot to charge my phone the other day, and had to go through nearly an entire day without it. I nearly went out of my mind from boredom/out of touch syndrome. Not being able to load up Wikipedia when I thought "I wonder what ___" was brutal. Similarly, not being connected to Yahoo's sports page to check scores was awful. It's pretty crazy how dependent I have become on this thing (which I'm typing this post from) for occupying my downtime.

[Logan]

I can't speak to the lack of creativity part, but I've realized I focus too much on my phone when I'm not bored. I find myself doing something completely unnecessary on my phone which leads to me not being fully invested in a game I'm watching, which is pretty shitty.

[QuikSand]

I would probably suffer the same way you do if compelled/determined not to use it as much. I'm not an addict, I don't think, but I absolutely use mine constantly.

[AnalBumCover]

Smartphones are smart so you don't have to be.

[Vince, Pt. II]

The one thing I do enjoy about the Smartphone that I think has little to no downside is the instant access to useful (or useless) information. I've found that almost every time I wonder about something, I now look it up on my phone. I have "learned" a ton of things that I would have forgotten to look up by the time I got back to a computer.

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I think this is more of a long term thing - I agree with your theory that less boredom may lead to less creativity, I just think it's something that won't manifest itself immediately.

I forgot to charge my phone the other day, and had to go through nearly an entire day without it. I nearly went out of my mind from boredom/out of touch syndrome. Not being able to load up Wikipedia when I thought "I wonder what ___" was brutal. Similarly, not being connected to Yahoo's sports page to check scores was awful. It's pretty crazy how dependent I have become on this thing (which I'm typing this post from) for occupying my downtime.

Yea. It's weird for me. I actually have friends that get frustrated with me because I might not respond for five hours to a text (Which annoys me, because christ, where were we before cell phones). That is usually when I am at home though. When I get home I might throw my phone on the counter and not even think about it until hours later.

But, if I pull out of the driveway and get down the block and notice my phone is gone, look the fuck out. I am surprised I don't slam on the breaks and slam it in reverse. If that is not possible, then the whole day I just feel anxious. It's weird the difference in connection I need when I am home versus being away. Maybe at home I have my laptop/desktop. I don't know.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

The one thing I do enjoy about the Smartphone that I think has little to no downside is the instant access to useful (or useless) information. I've found that almost every time I wonder about something, I now look it up on my phone. I have "learned" a ton of things that I would have forgotten to look up by the time I got back to a computer.

Tangential question about the inner workings of the brain:
Does you think having that information readily available (either via pc, phone, etc) makes your memory better or worse? Personally, I think my memory dies a little each time I go and look something up I knew.

On the one hand, the quantity is better- if I can't think of something off the top of my head, how many times does that fall into the "I don't care" mental scrapheap. However, there's just that satisfaction to when you dig something out of your brain after a half day of "dang, I know the answer to this" and manage to reconnect those disconnected neurons (that's how I figure my brain works, anyway). I'm sure that satisfying feeling is some sort of neurochemical being released to make me feel happy and I tend to remember those things longer, with a higher rate going into long term memory.

SI

[sterlingice]

I had one of these oddball threads that was just blueskying on the board all queued up for today but this one works great so I'll save mine for later

SI

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Tangential question about the inner workings of the brain:
Does you think having that information readily available (either via pc, phone, etc) makes your memory better or worse? Personally, I think my memory dies a little each time I go and look something up I knew.

On the one hand, the quantity is better- if I can't think of something off the top of my head, how many times does that fall into the "I don't care" mental scrapheap. However, there's just that satisfaction to when you dig something out of your brain after a half day of "dang, I know the answer to this" and manage to reconnect those disconnected neurons (that's how I figure my brain works, anyway). I'm sure that satisfying feeling is some sort of neurochemical being released to make me feel happy and I tend to remember those things longer, with a higher rate going into long term memory.

SI

For the most part, I'm looking up things I never knew to bein with. I think cell phones in general with their saved contact lists are what kill my memory little by little. As a kid I knew probably 50 phone numbers by memory. Now, I can only come up with about 5 I know on demand, and one of them is my own!

[Vince, Pt. II]

Dola - I will often refuse to look something up that I should know. Yesterday a buddy of mine and I were trying to remember the name of the Dodgers pitcher than got a huge contract and pitched for the Yankees and Padres. Took us a while, but we finally came up with Kevin Brown.

[sterlingice]

Don't forget the ring he won with the mercenary Marlins

SI

[Ajaxab]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Tangential question about the inner workings of the brain:
Does you think having that information readily available (either via pc, phone, etc) makes your memory better or worse? Personally, I think my memory dies a little each time I go and look something up I knew.

Plato agrees with you, but just swap pc, phone, etc. for writing. He was convinced writing ruined memory because now people could write things down and look them up later. He wanted people to keep on talking instead of going to jotting things down. Interesting how these same questions come up thousands of years after he raised them.

[sterlingice]

Interesting

SI