The Importance of Being Present Without Phones

Today, nostalgia for the ’90s is everywhere, from fashion to music tours. But what drives the longing for that period of time? It’s something beyond simple scrunchies and CD players. We yearn for full presence, for the last generation that lived without smartphones glued to their hands. Nowadays, there is an epidemic in culture. many people are scrolling People scroll through their social networks and check their notifications, even while somebody is talking to them from the table. It is necessary to stop using our devices too much, especially when we meet people in person, because our addiction to our phones negatively impacts affects us negatively through their impact on our mental health, brain function, and physical well-being.

It goes without saying that our phones and the internet provide us with infinite and unique possibilities to communicate with people. Now we can call anyone anytime and anywhere in the world. However, these connections that occur in virtual space are not as valuable and as deep as the connections that are formed when people meet in real life. Research shows that phones spoil our moments together, making them less pleasurable. In fact, according to a 2020 study, a growing number of people start using their mobile phones when getting together with others just to escape having to talk to them.

This habit results in the creation of a “full archaeological record” of socializing, which includes group photos, payment receipts in apps, stories after an event on social networks. But the paradox is that the more you tend to document your experience, the easier it becomes for you to detach yourself from it right in the middle of the process. As soon as there is even a minute-long pause in your conversation, you instinctively get absorbed into other distractions.

A return to this approach of hanging out without cellphones is not sheer nostalgia. It is a necessary adjustment in order to stay mentally and socially healthy. The decision to leave your device at home or turn it off will allow you to truly engage with your surrounding world and its people.