1 00:00:15,476 --> 00:00:25,716 Speaker 1: Pushkin. One of the greatest lies our minds tell us 2 00:00:25,876 --> 00:00:27,956 Speaker 1: is that we're soaking up everything we see in here. 3 00:00:28,556 --> 00:00:31,556 Speaker 1: But that's simply not true. Our ability to pay attention 4 00:00:31,596 --> 00:00:34,156 Speaker 1: to the world around us is much more limited than 5 00:00:34,196 --> 00:00:39,636 Speaker 1: we think. We're missing out on way more than we realize. Okay, 6 00:00:39,676 --> 00:00:41,396 Speaker 1: thank you again for coming up to the study. X. 7 00:00:41,436 --> 00:00:44,156 Speaker 1: So you're going to be doing a classic experiment in 8 00:00:44,156 --> 00:00:46,036 Speaker 1: psychology where you're going to be counting the number of 9 00:00:46,076 --> 00:00:48,756 Speaker 1: basketball passes. I'm testing some of the students in my 10 00:00:48,796 --> 00:00:51,596 Speaker 1: residential college at Yale on an experiment that's now become 11 00:00:51,716 --> 00:00:55,236 Speaker 1: famous in the history of modern psychology. There's a decent 12 00:00:55,316 --> 00:00:57,356 Speaker 1: chance you may have taken a version of it yourself. 13 00:00:57,476 --> 00:01:00,316 Speaker 1: So there's gonna be six players, three people on the 14 00:01:00,316 --> 00:01:02,516 Speaker 1: white team and three people on a black team, and 15 00:01:02,556 --> 00:01:04,196 Speaker 1: your task is you have to count the number of 16 00:01:04,196 --> 00:01:10,516 Speaker 1: passes that the people on the white team. Make makes sense, Yeah, okay, two. 17 00:01:11,036 --> 00:01:14,196 Speaker 2: Three, four, five. 18 00:01:14,356 --> 00:01:16,836 Speaker 1: Since the teams are crisscrossing and the two balls are 19 00:01:16,836 --> 00:01:20,356 Speaker 1: constantly moving, there's a lot to keep track of. Even so, 20 00:01:20,876 --> 00:01:23,596 Speaker 1: most students are able to count the passes pretty accurately. 21 00:01:23,756 --> 00:01:29,236 Speaker 1: Fourteen fifteen, awesome, that's correct. But counting the number of 22 00:01:29,236 --> 00:01:32,516 Speaker 1: passes isn't really the point of the study. Did you 23 00:01:32,556 --> 00:01:34,716 Speaker 1: also notice anything else that was weird in the video? 24 00:01:36,316 --> 00:01:38,996 Speaker 2: M No, I don't think so. 25 00:01:39,356 --> 00:01:41,436 Speaker 1: Did you happen to see a big gorilla walk into 26 00:01:41,436 --> 00:01:47,196 Speaker 1: the scene? No, no, no way, I'll replay it again. 27 00:01:47,516 --> 00:01:50,356 Speaker 1: Something very unexpected happens in the middle of this video. 28 00:01:50,956 --> 00:01:53,276 Speaker 1: A large man in a gorilla suit walks in and 29 00:01:53,316 --> 00:01:57,276 Speaker 1: beats his chest. Now, even though the gorilla walks right 30 00:01:57,316 --> 00:02:00,676 Speaker 1: through the middle of the frame, many people simply report 31 00:02:00,836 --> 00:02:03,476 Speaker 1: not seeing it. Did you see a huge gorilla walk 32 00:02:03,516 --> 00:02:04,396 Speaker 1: in the middle of the past. 33 00:02:04,516 --> 00:02:04,636 Speaker 2: No. 34 00:02:05,036 --> 00:02:08,396 Speaker 1: In fact, when researchers Dan Simon and Chris Shabriz originally 35 00:02:08,436 --> 00:02:11,196 Speaker 1: ran the study, more than half of the subjects failed 36 00:02:11,196 --> 00:02:13,316 Speaker 1: to spot something right in front of their eyes. 37 00:02:13,876 --> 00:02:19,956 Speaker 2: Oh my god, I can't believe see that. 38 00:02:20,436 --> 00:02:24,956 Speaker 1: Simon's and Debury christen this phenomenon inattentional blindness. We're actually 39 00:02:25,036 --> 00:02:28,956 Speaker 1: blind to anything we're not actively paying attention to. When 40 00:02:28,996 --> 00:02:31,756 Speaker 1: you focus on the people passing the ball, you're simply 41 00:02:31,836 --> 00:02:34,916 Speaker 1: unable to see a huge gorilla even when you're looking 42 00:02:34,996 --> 00:02:38,156 Speaker 1: right at it. Our minds make us believe that we 43 00:02:38,196 --> 00:02:41,196 Speaker 1: see everything we look at, but that's just not true, 44 00:02:42,036 --> 00:02:44,876 Speaker 1: and the things we don't notice matter for our happiness 45 00:02:45,276 --> 00:02:50,036 Speaker 1: more than we think. Our minds are constantly telling us 46 00:02:50,036 --> 00:02:52,076 Speaker 1: what to do to be happy. But what if our 47 00:02:52,076 --> 00:02:54,836 Speaker 1: minds are wrong. What if our minds are lying to us, 48 00:02:55,076 --> 00:02:57,436 Speaker 1: leading us away from what will really make us happy. 49 00:02:58,116 --> 00:03:00,316 Speaker 1: The good news is that understanding the science of the 50 00:03:00,316 --> 00:03:02,556 Speaker 1: mind can point us all back in the right direction. 51 00:03:03,156 --> 00:03:06,036 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Happiness Lab with doctor Laurie Sanders. 52 00:03:12,676 --> 00:03:15,156 Speaker 3: I guess the joy of doing science is when we 53 00:03:15,236 --> 00:03:18,956 Speaker 3: discover things that are really surprising and counterintuitive about how 54 00:03:18,956 --> 00:03:21,956 Speaker 3: our own minds work. And you're more likely to be 55 00:03:22,076 --> 00:03:26,236 Speaker 3: surprised about processes in the mind that we don't have 56 00:03:26,316 --> 00:03:27,196 Speaker 3: conscious access to. 57 00:03:27,756 --> 00:03:30,236 Speaker 1: This is my colleague Brian Shawl. He's a professor of 58 00:03:30,276 --> 00:03:33,996 Speaker 1: psychology and cognitive science here at Yale. Brian studies the 59 00:03:34,036 --> 00:03:36,596 Speaker 1: surprising limits of our attentional abilities. 60 00:03:36,836 --> 00:03:40,596 Speaker 3: There's just way too much information coming in through our 61 00:03:40,596 --> 00:03:44,756 Speaker 3: eyes at any given moment to fully process even most 62 00:03:44,756 --> 00:03:46,076 Speaker 3: of it, much less all of it. 63 00:03:46,596 --> 00:03:48,716 Speaker 1: We assume that the mere act of looking at something 64 00:03:48,956 --> 00:03:51,556 Speaker 1: means we'll be able to perceive it. That say, if 65 00:03:51,556 --> 00:03:54,236 Speaker 1: I'm looking at a computer screen, I'll naturally be able 66 00:03:54,276 --> 00:03:56,356 Speaker 1: to see all the stuff that happens on the screen. 67 00:03:56,636 --> 00:03:59,236 Speaker 3: But one of the most shocking discoveries of this research 68 00:03:59,316 --> 00:04:01,956 Speaker 3: is that that is not true. That in some cases, 69 00:04:01,996 --> 00:04:05,236 Speaker 3: you can completely fail to be consciously aware of something 70 00:04:05,276 --> 00:04:07,396 Speaker 3: that's right in front of you if you are not 71 00:04:07,756 --> 00:04:08,956 Speaker 3: paying attention to it. 72 00:04:09,316 --> 00:04:11,916 Speaker 1: And Brian's work on an attentional blindness has shown that 73 00:04:11,916 --> 00:04:15,276 Speaker 1: we're missing gorillas all over the place. His lab uses 74 00:04:15,276 --> 00:04:18,276 Speaker 1: a slightly different version of the gorilla experiment. Instead of 75 00:04:18,316 --> 00:04:21,396 Speaker 1: basketball players, Brian has people track a group of black 76 00:04:21,436 --> 00:04:24,116 Speaker 1: and white circles and squares moving across a computer screen. 77 00:04:24,396 --> 00:04:27,236 Speaker 3: And the gorilla in this case is just a bright 78 00:04:27,356 --> 00:04:29,916 Speaker 3: red cross. And so this bright red cross has a 79 00:04:29,916 --> 00:04:33,316 Speaker 3: completely different color, a completely different shape, a completely different 80 00:04:33,356 --> 00:04:36,676 Speaker 3: type of motion trajectory, and it literally passes across the 81 00:04:36,876 --> 00:04:39,356 Speaker 3: entire screen and moves right in front of your eyes. 82 00:04:39,876 --> 00:04:42,196 Speaker 1: But despite the fact that the red cross is totally 83 00:04:42,276 --> 00:04:45,436 Speaker 1: different from the other shapes, around thirty percent of people 84 00:04:45,596 --> 00:04:48,716 Speaker 1: fail to see it, even when they're looking directly at 85 00:04:48,716 --> 00:04:49,156 Speaker 1: the screen. 86 00:04:49,756 --> 00:04:52,116 Speaker 3: Our window on the world is only that which we 87 00:04:52,196 --> 00:04:54,996 Speaker 3: attend to, and that is just a brute fact of 88 00:04:55,156 --> 00:04:55,916 Speaker 3: human nature. 89 00:04:56,956 --> 00:04:58,756 Speaker 1: We all have things that make us happy in life. 90 00:04:59,156 --> 00:05:02,516 Speaker 1: A delicious meal, a sunny spring day, rain drops on roses, 91 00:05:02,556 --> 00:05:05,396 Speaker 1: whiskers on kittens. I mean, there's lots of good stuff 92 00:05:05,396 --> 00:05:08,276 Speaker 1: out there, but the limits of our attention mean that 93 00:05:08,356 --> 00:05:11,556 Speaker 1: our favorite thing can only influence our mood if we 94 00:05:11,676 --> 00:05:14,476 Speaker 1: notice them. I mean, when was the last time you 95 00:05:14,516 --> 00:05:16,196 Speaker 1: took a second to look up at the blue sky 96 00:05:16,276 --> 00:05:19,036 Speaker 1: and the trees, or really stop to pay attention to 97 00:05:19,076 --> 00:05:22,596 Speaker 1: your partner's smile, or notice the warmth of your coffee cup. 98 00:05:23,916 --> 00:05:26,316 Speaker 1: Research shows that all these little times were not paying 99 00:05:26,356 --> 00:05:28,956 Speaker 1: attention can have a big impact on our well being. 100 00:05:29,676 --> 00:05:32,956 Speaker 1: Psychologist Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert showed this in a 101 00:05:32,996 --> 00:05:36,156 Speaker 1: clever study. They had their subjects download an app that 102 00:05:36,236 --> 00:05:39,916 Speaker 1: contacted them at random times and asked three questions, what 103 00:05:39,996 --> 00:05:42,396 Speaker 1: are you doing right now? Are you paying attention to 104 00:05:42,436 --> 00:05:46,076 Speaker 1: what you're doing? And third, how are you feeling? They 105 00:05:46,076 --> 00:05:48,676 Speaker 1: found that what people were doing only had a small 106 00:05:48,716 --> 00:05:52,276 Speaker 1: impact on what they were feeling. What really mattered was 107 00:05:52,316 --> 00:05:56,556 Speaker 1: whether people were paying attention, and that's important. If we 108 00:05:56,596 --> 00:05:58,796 Speaker 1: want to fully enjoy all the good things in life, 109 00:05:59,316 --> 00:06:01,916 Speaker 1: we actually have to notice them. We need to make 110 00:06:01,916 --> 00:06:04,476 Speaker 1: sure we're saving some of our limited attention for the 111 00:06:04,476 --> 00:06:07,116 Speaker 1: stuff that really matters. But if we really want to 112 00:06:07,196 --> 00:06:09,956 Speaker 1: use our attention to become happier, there's something else we 113 00:06:09,996 --> 00:06:13,236 Speaker 1: need to come to terms with, and that's that it's really, 114 00:06:13,276 --> 00:06:16,556 Speaker 1: really hard to recognize just how bad our attention is. 115 00:06:16,956 --> 00:06:19,956 Speaker 1: And that's because we tend not to notice what we're 116 00:06:19,996 --> 00:06:20,676 Speaker 1: not noticing. 117 00:06:21,036 --> 00:06:25,436 Speaker 3: Philosophers sometimes call this the refrigerator light illusion. The idea is, 118 00:06:25,556 --> 00:06:28,556 Speaker 3: how would you know if the light in your refrigerator 119 00:06:28,636 --> 00:06:31,996 Speaker 3: is off when the door is not open. Everybody has 120 00:06:31,996 --> 00:06:34,476 Speaker 3: intuitions that tell them that, of course, if a gorilla 121 00:06:34,516 --> 00:06:37,076 Speaker 3: walked in front of me, I would notice it. But 122 00:06:37,076 --> 00:06:38,276 Speaker 3: those intuitions are wrong. 123 00:06:38,556 --> 00:06:40,556 Speaker 1: And if our brains are wrong about seeing a huge 124 00:06:40,556 --> 00:06:44,796 Speaker 1: gorilla walking directly across a screen, imagine all the less salient, 125 00:06:44,956 --> 00:06:47,436 Speaker 1: feel good gorillas we don't realize we're missing on a 126 00:06:47,476 --> 00:06:50,796 Speaker 1: daily basis, all the smiles we don't notice, or the 127 00:06:50,836 --> 00:06:53,236 Speaker 1: taste of a yummy lunch we didn't realize we ignored 128 00:06:53,396 --> 00:06:56,836 Speaker 1: because something else grabbed our attention. But these days it's 129 00:06:56,876 --> 00:06:59,676 Speaker 1: not just our limited minds that are causing the problem. 130 00:06:59,836 --> 00:07:02,796 Speaker 1: We've also added something else to our daily routine that 131 00:07:02,876 --> 00:07:07,356 Speaker 1: makes our usually bad attention, much much worse walk in 132 00:07:07,396 --> 00:07:10,556 Speaker 1: that world. It's two thank you for coming. And Apple 133 00:07:10,636 --> 00:07:14,076 Speaker 1: CEO Steve Jobs is addressing the crowd at the Macworld convention. 134 00:07:14,156 --> 00:07:16,116 Speaker 4: We're going to make some history together today. 135 00:07:16,356 --> 00:07:19,636 Speaker 1: He pauses and takes a sip of water. He seems 136 00:07:19,636 --> 00:07:21,876 Speaker 1: to be psyching himself up for something important. 137 00:07:22,076 --> 00:07:25,596 Speaker 4: Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along 138 00:07:26,676 --> 00:07:37,916 Speaker 4: that changes everything. Well, today we're introducing three revolutionary products 139 00:07:37,916 --> 00:07:46,196 Speaker 4: of this class, an iPod, a phone, and an Internet communicator. 140 00:07:47,476 --> 00:07:55,476 Speaker 4: Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices, 141 00:07:56,156 --> 00:07:57,356 Speaker 4: This is one device. 142 00:07:59,036 --> 00:08:02,036 Speaker 1: Apple didn't just reinvent the phone that day. Their innovation 143 00:08:02,316 --> 00:08:05,196 Speaker 1: was an attentional game changer, one that's brought a host 144 00:08:05,236 --> 00:08:08,036 Speaker 1: of changes to all of our lives, ones that even 145 00:08:08,076 --> 00:08:12,556 Speaker 1: Steve Jobs couldn't see. Take, for example, one seemingly irrelevant 146 00:08:12,556 --> 00:08:17,596 Speaker 1: economic indicator, chewing gum purchases. Since the iPhone came out, 147 00:08:17,796 --> 00:08:20,996 Speaker 1: chewing gum sales have dropped by double digits. Now, you 148 00:08:21,076 --> 00:08:22,996 Speaker 1: might think that this could be for a couple of reasons, 149 00:08:23,516 --> 00:08:25,716 Speaker 1: like maybe people are turning to breath mints or something. 150 00:08:26,676 --> 00:08:29,596 Speaker 1: So what's going on? Well, some scholars have argued that 151 00:08:29,636 --> 00:08:32,636 Speaker 1: the shift in purchasing behavior reflects less of a change 152 00:08:32,636 --> 00:08:35,436 Speaker 1: in our preferences and more of a change in our behavior, 153 00:08:36,276 --> 00:08:39,356 Speaker 1: specifically how we're spending our time in the spot we'd 154 00:08:39,356 --> 00:08:42,436 Speaker 1: normally be buying gum the checkout line, and that's where 155 00:08:42,476 --> 00:08:45,676 Speaker 1: Steve Jobs comes in. We're no longer tempted by all 156 00:08:45,716 --> 00:08:49,276 Speaker 1: those impulse buys because we simply don't see them anymore. 157 00:08:49,876 --> 00:08:52,516 Speaker 1: One study found that sixty two percent of people pulled 158 00:08:52,516 --> 00:08:55,116 Speaker 1: out a device while waiting in line, and more than 159 00:08:55,156 --> 00:08:57,876 Speaker 1: eighty percent of those people whip that device out in 160 00:08:57,956 --> 00:09:01,756 Speaker 1: less than twenty seconds. With our eyeballs stuck to our screens, 161 00:09:02,156 --> 00:09:04,596 Speaker 1: we simply don't notice the other tempting stuff in the 162 00:09:04,676 --> 00:09:07,316 Speaker 1: checkout aisle. But could our phones be causing us to 163 00:09:07,316 --> 00:09:10,836 Speaker 1: miss stuff that's even more important than a gum. Brian 164 00:09:10,996 --> 00:09:12,796 Speaker 1: used his Red Cross study to find out. 165 00:09:13,396 --> 00:09:16,516 Speaker 3: So, with a bunch of undergrads here at Yale, we 166 00:09:16,716 --> 00:09:19,436 Speaker 3: repeated this experiment, but we had half of the subjects 167 00:09:19,516 --> 00:09:23,276 Speaker 3: talk on a cell phone and it was wonderfully awkward. 168 00:09:23,316 --> 00:09:25,396 Speaker 3: We just told them to like, talk to the research 169 00:09:25,436 --> 00:09:28,036 Speaker 3: assistant on the other end of the line, and you know, 170 00:09:28,116 --> 00:09:30,396 Speaker 3: find out who they are, what their interests are, et cetera. 171 00:09:31,116 --> 00:09:33,876 Speaker 3: But we told them point blank, look, don't let talking 172 00:09:33,916 --> 00:09:37,796 Speaker 3: on a cell phone impact your performance on this tracking task. 173 00:09:38,156 --> 00:09:41,596 Speaker 1: Brian found that subjects did fine. People were just as 174 00:09:41,636 --> 00:09:43,396 Speaker 1: good at tracking the movement of the white and black 175 00:09:43,436 --> 00:09:45,876 Speaker 1: shapes when they talked on the phone as when there 176 00:09:45,916 --> 00:09:46,716 Speaker 1: was no phone in sight. 177 00:09:47,356 --> 00:09:49,316 Speaker 3: But of course that's not what we were interested in. 178 00:09:49,916 --> 00:09:51,996 Speaker 3: What we really cared about is how many of them 179 00:09:52,116 --> 00:09:56,156 Speaker 3: noticed this red cross or gorilla in this case. So 180 00:09:56,276 --> 00:09:59,156 Speaker 3: when they were not talking on a cell phone, seventy 181 00:09:59,196 --> 00:10:02,556 Speaker 3: percent of people saw the red cross. About thirty percent 182 00:10:02,556 --> 00:10:07,276 Speaker 3: of people were inattentionally blind. With exactly the same displays. 183 00:10:07,316 --> 00:10:09,436 Speaker 3: When they were talking on the cell phone and trying 184 00:10:09,476 --> 00:10:13,036 Speaker 3: not to let it affect their performance, ninety percent of 185 00:10:13,156 --> 00:10:16,916 Speaker 3: people missed the red cross. Only ten percent of people 186 00:10:16,956 --> 00:10:17,316 Speaker 3: saw it. 187 00:10:17,836 --> 00:10:20,876 Speaker 1: Brian found that using his cell phone dramatically increases the 188 00:10:20,996 --> 00:10:24,316 Speaker 1: rate of an attentional blindness. I mean, his subjects miss 189 00:10:24,436 --> 00:10:28,076 Speaker 1: ninety percent of the gorillas that cross their paths. Ninety percent. 190 00:10:28,876 --> 00:10:32,076 Speaker 1: With over three billion smartphones and pockets all over the world, 191 00:10:32,756 --> 00:10:35,556 Speaker 1: just think of all the things that are going unnoticed. 192 00:10:36,876 --> 00:10:38,996 Speaker 1: When we get back from the break, we'll talk more 193 00:10:39,036 --> 00:10:43,076 Speaker 1: about all the unforeseen consequences of these missed gorillas. Because 194 00:10:43,116 --> 00:10:45,196 Speaker 1: even though we don't notice the effect our phones are 195 00:10:45,196 --> 00:10:48,236 Speaker 1: having on our attention, these missed moments might matter for 196 00:10:48,316 --> 00:10:51,476 Speaker 1: our happiness more than we think phones are. 197 00:10:51,436 --> 00:10:54,836 Speaker 5: Useful, you know, ironically, because of that value, they also 198 00:10:54,876 --> 00:10:57,556 Speaker 5: provide a very, very potent source of distraction that I 199 00:10:57,636 --> 00:11:01,676 Speaker 5: do think vastly exceeds anything else that we've ever seen 200 00:11:01,716 --> 00:11:02,556 Speaker 5: in human history. 201 00:11:03,076 --> 00:11:04,796 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab will be right back. 202 00:11:15,756 --> 00:11:19,236 Speaker 5: About ninety five percent of people report having used their 203 00:11:19,276 --> 00:11:23,756 Speaker 5: smartphone during their most recent social gathering. Perhaps more surprisingly, 204 00:11:24,036 --> 00:11:27,116 Speaker 5: about ten percent of people report having used their smartphone 205 00:11:27,116 --> 00:11:31,596 Speaker 5: at least once during sex. So these devices seem to 206 00:11:31,636 --> 00:11:35,516 Speaker 5: really penetrate a broad array of social interactions. 207 00:11:35,756 --> 00:11:38,436 Speaker 1: I'm talking to Liz Done, longtime friend of the Happiness 208 00:11:38,516 --> 00:11:41,876 Speaker 1: Lab and professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. 209 00:11:41,956 --> 00:11:46,756 Speaker 5: When smartphones first started appearing in everybody's hands, I got 210 00:11:46,916 --> 00:11:51,556 Speaker 5: curious about how they were influencing the benefits that we 211 00:11:51,636 --> 00:11:53,876 Speaker 5: get out of everyday social interactions. 212 00:11:54,356 --> 00:11:56,716 Speaker 1: Now, you might think Liz started her studies with all 213 00:11:56,756 --> 00:12:00,556 Speaker 1: the really egregious cases of phones messing with social interactions. Well, 214 00:12:00,556 --> 00:12:03,036 Speaker 1: my college students at Yale sometimes call fubbing. 215 00:12:03,316 --> 00:12:06,356 Speaker 5: The idea of fubbing, the combination of like snubbing and 216 00:12:06,476 --> 00:12:11,596 Speaker 5: phone is that you are not paying attention to the 217 00:12:11,636 --> 00:12:13,916 Speaker 5: other people around you, and maybe in a way that 218 00:12:13,956 --> 00:12:18,276 Speaker 5: feels sort of hurtful and upsetting to them because you 219 00:12:18,596 --> 00:12:20,156 Speaker 5: are paying attention to your phone. 220 00:12:20,356 --> 00:12:22,956 Speaker 1: But Liz is actually more worried about all the less 221 00:12:23,036 --> 00:12:25,916 Speaker 1: hurtful ways we use our phone. She was concerned about 222 00:12:25,916 --> 00:12:28,396 Speaker 1: what the mere act of having your phone around does 223 00:12:28,436 --> 00:12:30,876 Speaker 1: to your attention, like when you stick your phone on 224 00:12:30,916 --> 00:12:31,876 Speaker 1: the table at dinner. 225 00:12:32,156 --> 00:12:35,556 Speaker 5: We were able to get a local restaurant to let 226 00:12:35,636 --> 00:12:37,796 Speaker 5: us come in and basically take over one of their 227 00:12:37,836 --> 00:12:41,236 Speaker 5: tables for many months, and so we would have people 228 00:12:41,916 --> 00:12:44,876 Speaker 5: come in and have dinner with their friends or family, 229 00:12:45,196 --> 00:12:46,836 Speaker 5: and the deal was, you know, we'll pick up the 230 00:12:46,836 --> 00:12:49,476 Speaker 5: bill if you fill out some surveys for us, and 231 00:12:49,516 --> 00:12:52,876 Speaker 5: then basically, by the flip of a coin, they're assigned 232 00:12:52,916 --> 00:12:55,676 Speaker 5: to either have their phones out and available during the 233 00:12:55,716 --> 00:12:57,956 Speaker 5: meal or to put them away, and then we just 234 00:12:58,036 --> 00:13:00,396 Speaker 5: leave them alone and let them do their thing, you know, 235 00:13:00,436 --> 00:13:02,516 Speaker 5: have their meal with their friends and family. And then 236 00:13:02,556 --> 00:13:05,196 Speaker 5: at the end of the meal, we asked them to 237 00:13:06,156 --> 00:13:09,556 Speaker 5: just report, for example, how much they enjoyed this time, 238 00:13:10,196 --> 00:13:12,556 Speaker 5: how connected they felt to their friends and family, and 239 00:13:12,596 --> 00:13:15,876 Speaker 5: so forth. And what we see is that when phones 240 00:13:15,916 --> 00:13:20,516 Speaker 5: are out and available, they experienced significantly less enjoyment compared 241 00:13:20,516 --> 00:13:22,996 Speaker 5: to when phones are simply put away. 242 00:13:23,716 --> 00:13:26,316 Speaker 1: Liz's experiment is just one of a growing number of 243 00:13:26,316 --> 00:13:29,476 Speaker 1: studies showing that the mere presence of phones can negatively 244 00:13:29,516 --> 00:13:33,756 Speaker 1: impact lots of different events. Other researchers tested the impact 245 00:13:33,796 --> 00:13:37,356 Speaker 1: of a simple notification buzz. In their study, participants got 246 00:13:37,356 --> 00:13:40,036 Speaker 1: a free massage. The only caveat was that they had 247 00:13:40,036 --> 00:13:42,756 Speaker 1: to place their cell phone on a nearby table and 248 00:13:42,836 --> 00:13:45,956 Speaker 1: not check it until the massage was over. Half of 249 00:13:45,996 --> 00:13:48,396 Speaker 1: the participants got a call during the massage, while the 250 00:13:48,436 --> 00:13:51,836 Speaker 1: other half didn't. Afterwards, they all rated their experience on 251 00:13:51,876 --> 00:13:55,516 Speaker 1: a nine point scale what happened while those who heard 252 00:13:55,556 --> 00:13:58,756 Speaker 1: their cell phone vibrate had enjoyment ratings that were significantly 253 00:13:58,796 --> 00:14:02,596 Speaker 1: lower even when they didn't look at their phone. Researchers 254 00:14:02,596 --> 00:14:05,076 Speaker 1: saw similar effects when the enjoyable event was watching a 255 00:14:05,116 --> 00:14:08,156 Speaker 1: movie or playing a game of Mario Kart. I find 256 00:14:08,196 --> 00:14:11,316 Speaker 1: these results absolutely crazy. I mean, we all kind of 257 00:14:11,356 --> 00:14:12,996 Speaker 1: know that it's a bad idea to pull out our 258 00:14:13,036 --> 00:14:15,036 Speaker 1: phones and start using them in the middle of some 259 00:14:15,076 --> 00:14:17,916 Speaker 1: social interaction. But lots of us have our phones sitting 260 00:14:17,996 --> 00:14:20,996 Speaker 1: around us all the time. I mean, mine is usually 261 00:14:20,996 --> 00:14:23,156 Speaker 1: by my side when I'm working, or watching a movie, 262 00:14:23,516 --> 00:14:25,876 Speaker 1: or even at dinner. I always thought that if it 263 00:14:25,916 --> 00:14:28,116 Speaker 1: was face down, that I was fine. I had no 264 00:14:28,236 --> 00:14:31,796 Speaker 1: idea that my phone's mere presence could be systematically reducing 265 00:14:31,796 --> 00:14:35,276 Speaker 1: my enjoyment. But in some sense, of course, I didn't. 266 00:14:35,756 --> 00:14:38,516 Speaker 1: As we saw before, our brains simply can't notice the 267 00:14:38,556 --> 00:14:41,236 Speaker 1: many things we don't notice, and that means we have 268 00:14:41,356 --> 00:14:44,276 Speaker 1: no idea how much our phones are stealing our attention. 269 00:14:44,796 --> 00:14:47,436 Speaker 5: What we see in our data is that when people 270 00:14:47,956 --> 00:14:50,796 Speaker 5: have access to their phones, they do report feelings significantly 271 00:14:50,836 --> 00:14:53,196 Speaker 5: more distracted. You know, this at least provides us with 272 00:14:53,236 --> 00:14:55,916 Speaker 5: some evidence that part of the reason that phones are 273 00:14:55,996 --> 00:14:59,236 Speaker 5: undermining enjoyment in this social setting is that they're kind 274 00:14:59,236 --> 00:15:01,156 Speaker 5: of pulling us out of the moment a little bit, 275 00:15:01,436 --> 00:15:03,916 Speaker 5: making us feel a little more distracted, a little less 276 00:15:03,956 --> 00:15:07,196 Speaker 5: focused on the present, and that is kind of chipping 277 00:15:07,196 --> 00:15:08,476 Speaker 5: away at our enjoyment. 278 00:15:09,276 --> 00:15:11,036 Speaker 1: That our phones are taking us out of moments that 279 00:15:11,076 --> 00:15:13,836 Speaker 1: are even more important than a simple dinner. She's found 280 00:15:13,876 --> 00:15:16,356 Speaker 1: that phones can affect the connection we experience with our kids. 281 00:15:16,716 --> 00:15:20,636 Speaker 5: In this study, we went out to a science museum 282 00:15:20,836 --> 00:15:25,636 Speaker 5: in Vancouver called Science World. We recruited parents and we 283 00:15:25,836 --> 00:15:29,516 Speaker 5: randomly assigned them either to use their phones a lot 284 00:15:29,596 --> 00:15:31,756 Speaker 5: or to try to minimize their phone use, and then 285 00:15:32,036 --> 00:15:34,036 Speaker 5: we let them just, you know, go do their whole 286 00:15:34,116 --> 00:15:38,196 Speaker 5: science museum thing, and then at least thirty minutes later, 287 00:15:38,236 --> 00:15:41,196 Speaker 5: we asked them to complete a survey and tell us 288 00:15:41,316 --> 00:15:44,236 Speaker 5: how they had been feeling during their Science World visit. 289 00:15:44,836 --> 00:15:48,516 Speaker 5: And what we see there is that parents feel substantially 290 00:15:48,636 --> 00:15:51,276 Speaker 5: more distracted when they're using their phones a lot compared 291 00:15:51,316 --> 00:15:54,076 Speaker 5: to when they're minimizing phone use, and they also end 292 00:15:54,156 --> 00:15:58,716 Speaker 5: up feeling a lower sense of social connection in particular. 293 00:15:58,716 --> 00:16:00,836 Speaker 5: And I think that's really interesting because you know, here 294 00:16:00,836 --> 00:16:05,836 Speaker 5: are these devices that have been intentionally built to connect 295 00:16:05,956 --> 00:16:08,636 Speaker 5: us with other people, and yet in the context of 296 00:16:08,636 --> 00:16:11,276 Speaker 5: this sort of positive, everyday situation of visiting a museum 297 00:16:11,276 --> 00:16:13,876 Speaker 5: with your kids, you pull it out more, use it more, 298 00:16:13,916 --> 00:16:16,516 Speaker 5: and you end up feeling less socially connected because you're 299 00:16:16,596 --> 00:16:20,356 Speaker 5: missing out on these opportunities for connection that are kind 300 00:16:20,356 --> 00:16:21,796 Speaker 5: of right there in front of you. 301 00:16:22,276 --> 00:16:24,196 Speaker 1: Liz has experienced this effect firsthand. 302 00:16:24,716 --> 00:16:26,876 Speaker 5: I take my six year old all over there all 303 00:16:26,916 --> 00:16:28,996 Speaker 5: the time, and like, you know, you can watch him 304 00:16:29,076 --> 00:16:32,236 Speaker 5: learn about gravity and like have all of these really 305 00:16:32,316 --> 00:16:35,716 Speaker 5: nice experiences, you know. At the same time, It's not 306 00:16:35,796 --> 00:16:38,916 Speaker 5: like I say to myself, oh, I'm going to like 307 00:16:38,916 --> 00:16:41,596 Speaker 5: stop paying attention to my child and spend the next 308 00:16:41,636 --> 00:16:46,156 Speaker 5: twenty five minutes like learning what's going on with people 309 00:16:46,196 --> 00:16:48,676 Speaker 5: I haven't talked to since high school. Like I don't 310 00:16:48,676 --> 00:16:51,916 Speaker 5: make that plan, but I like look at my phone 311 00:16:51,956 --> 00:16:54,316 Speaker 5: for one second for to you know, check in with 312 00:16:54,356 --> 00:16:56,836 Speaker 5: somebody real quick about something, and then I see this 313 00:16:57,276 --> 00:16:59,516 Speaker 5: other thing on Facebook and get kind of sucked in. 314 00:16:59,876 --> 00:17:02,316 Speaker 1: We know, we've had distraction for a really long time, right, 315 00:17:02,396 --> 00:17:05,236 Speaker 1: there's lots of stuff that distracts us. Why are phones 316 00:17:05,636 --> 00:17:07,836 Speaker 1: worse than most of the other stuff we've seen in 317 00:17:07,916 --> 00:17:08,636 Speaker 1: human history? 318 00:17:09,276 --> 00:17:11,436 Speaker 5: I think phones are worse for two reasons. And it's 319 00:17:11,476 --> 00:17:18,276 Speaker 5: like this magical combination of portability and just like incredibly 320 00:17:18,636 --> 00:17:25,156 Speaker 5: rich and endless opportunities for information and entertainment that they provide. 321 00:17:27,116 --> 00:17:30,036 Speaker 1: Let's think for a second about all this information and entertainment. 322 00:17:30,636 --> 00:17:32,916 Speaker 1: On the other side of your phone is the entire 323 00:17:32,996 --> 00:17:37,916 Speaker 1: library of Alexandria. Every film archive, nearly every song ever recorded, 324 00:17:38,476 --> 00:17:43,436 Speaker 1: infinite news sites, magazines, podcasts, quotes, maps, celebrity gossip and recipes, 325 00:17:43,716 --> 00:17:46,636 Speaker 1: a shopping cart for every department store in the world, 326 00:17:46,716 --> 00:17:50,156 Speaker 1: all the emails you received since twenty twelve, infinite swipes 327 00:17:50,196 --> 00:17:53,916 Speaker 1: on potential romantic partners, and thousands upon thousands of funny 328 00:17:53,916 --> 00:17:57,836 Speaker 1: cat videos plus porn. I mean, never in the history 329 00:17:57,836 --> 00:18:00,396 Speaker 1: of our species have we had immediate access to so 330 00:18:00,516 --> 00:18:02,316 Speaker 1: much exciting, addictive stuff. 331 00:18:02,436 --> 00:18:04,556 Speaker 5: If you had a giant wheelbarrow and you pushed it 332 00:18:04,596 --> 00:18:06,196 Speaker 5: all around with you and like took it all out 333 00:18:06,196 --> 00:18:08,756 Speaker 5: of dinner, like, I'm sure you'd be just as distracted 334 00:18:08,756 --> 00:18:11,316 Speaker 5: by that as by your phone. It's just that people 335 00:18:11,356 --> 00:18:14,036 Speaker 5: wouldn't have done that, right, So, because it's so portable, 336 00:18:14,276 --> 00:18:17,836 Speaker 5: it's easy to pull out this phone even in social settings, 337 00:18:17,836 --> 00:18:20,076 Speaker 5: even when you're right in the middle of talking to somebody, 338 00:18:20,276 --> 00:18:22,356 Speaker 5: you know, let me just grab my wheelbarrow of like 339 00:18:22,436 --> 00:18:25,316 Speaker 5: distractions would not have been a normal or acceptable thing 340 00:18:25,356 --> 00:18:25,596 Speaker 5: to do. 341 00:18:26,076 --> 00:18:28,236 Speaker 1: And Liz's finding that a lot of what's being lost 342 00:18:28,476 --> 00:18:31,196 Speaker 1: is social. If you've listened to other episodes of The 343 00:18:31,196 --> 00:18:34,636 Speaker 1: Happiness Lab, you've heard that social connection, even with strangers, 344 00:18:34,916 --> 00:18:37,556 Speaker 1: is a key part of our well being. But Lizi's 345 00:18:37,556 --> 00:18:39,716 Speaker 1: finding that phones are causing us to lose more of 346 00:18:39,716 --> 00:18:42,436 Speaker 1: those important social moments than we realize. 347 00:18:42,476 --> 00:18:46,156 Speaker 5: We basically just stuck strangers together in a room for 348 00:18:46,236 --> 00:18:49,436 Speaker 5: about ten minutes, kind of like a mock waiting room, 349 00:18:49,956 --> 00:18:54,876 Speaker 5: and either we took their phones away or left them 350 00:18:54,876 --> 00:18:58,436 Speaker 5: with their phones, and then we videotape them and code 351 00:18:58,436 --> 00:19:01,356 Speaker 5: their facial expressions. And what we see is that when 352 00:19:01,396 --> 00:19:05,116 Speaker 5: people are sitting there with a stranger in a room 353 00:19:05,196 --> 00:19:08,636 Speaker 5: for ten minutes in the absence of phones, they smiled 354 00:19:08,756 --> 00:19:11,716 Speaker 5: quite a bit at that other person, and they almost 355 00:19:11,756 --> 00:19:15,396 Speaker 5: always interact with that other person. You let both people 356 00:19:15,436 --> 00:19:18,956 Speaker 5: hang on to their phones, and what you see is 357 00:19:19,436 --> 00:19:21,956 Speaker 5: a lot more people choosing not to interact at all, 358 00:19:22,276 --> 00:19:26,036 Speaker 5: and you see about thirty percent less smiling between strangers. 359 00:19:27,036 --> 00:19:28,636 Speaker 1: I just want to pause here so we can take 360 00:19:28,676 --> 00:19:33,556 Speaker 1: this in thirty percent less smiling thirty percent. I mean, 361 00:19:33,716 --> 00:19:36,476 Speaker 1: what if you multiplied that thirty percent from one person 362 00:19:36,516 --> 00:19:38,676 Speaker 1: in a waiting room to all the people in the 363 00:19:38,676 --> 00:19:41,636 Speaker 1: world walking around looking at their phones. What is the 364 00:19:41,636 --> 00:19:44,276 Speaker 1: scale of all this phone use doing to basic social 365 00:19:44,276 --> 00:19:45,596 Speaker 1: connection in our society. 366 00:19:46,116 --> 00:19:48,076 Speaker 5: I think it's so easy to overlook because what we 367 00:19:48,116 --> 00:19:51,436 Speaker 5: think about is like, Oh, because I'm on my phone, 368 00:19:51,516 --> 00:19:53,876 Speaker 5: you know, I found out about this funny thing somebody 369 00:19:54,036 --> 00:19:56,716 Speaker 5: posted on Facebook, and like, I managed to send a 370 00:19:56,756 --> 00:19:59,076 Speaker 5: quick text to my mom and all of that, and 371 00:19:59,116 --> 00:20:02,516 Speaker 5: we have no idea, like how many friendly smiles with 372 00:20:02,556 --> 00:20:05,996 Speaker 5: strangers just didn't happen as a result of what we 373 00:20:05,996 --> 00:20:07,876 Speaker 5: were doing on our phone. It's just as part of 374 00:20:07,876 --> 00:20:11,116 Speaker 5: this broader tendency to overlook opportunity costs, where we don't 375 00:20:11,116 --> 00:20:13,356 Speaker 5: realize what we're missing out on as a result of 376 00:20:13,356 --> 00:20:14,276 Speaker 5: what we're actually doing. 377 00:20:14,916 --> 00:20:17,556 Speaker 1: So what can we do to fix all this? We'll 378 00:20:17,556 --> 00:20:20,916 Speaker 1: turn to some practical strategies for improving your attentional hygiene 379 00:20:21,076 --> 00:20:23,316 Speaker 1: when the happiness labe returns in a moment. 380 00:20:34,036 --> 00:20:36,116 Speaker 2: I think everyone who's listening to this probably has the 381 00:20:36,156 --> 00:20:38,876 Speaker 2: experience of looking down and noticing their phone on her 382 00:20:38,876 --> 00:20:42,116 Speaker 2: hand and not really having any idea why it's there, 383 00:20:42,236 --> 00:20:43,876 Speaker 2: or what they're doing on it, or why they're on 384 00:20:43,956 --> 00:20:45,076 Speaker 2: Instagram at that moment. 385 00:20:45,356 --> 00:20:47,396 Speaker 1: I'm talking to the person The New York Times called 386 00:20:47,636 --> 00:20:49,116 Speaker 1: the Maria Condo of Brains. 387 00:20:49,836 --> 00:20:53,236 Speaker 2: I am Katherine Price. I'm a freelance science journalist and 388 00:20:53,276 --> 00:20:55,476 Speaker 2: the author of How To Break Up With your phone. 389 00:20:56,116 --> 00:20:59,876 Speaker 1: Before Catherine wrote an entire manifesto about taming our smartphone addiction, 390 00:21:00,516 --> 00:21:02,876 Speaker 1: she too was seduced by all the amazing things our 391 00:21:02,876 --> 00:21:03,956 Speaker 1: phones do for us. 392 00:21:04,156 --> 00:21:06,436 Speaker 2: I had been involved in a home renovation project and 393 00:21:06,436 --> 00:21:08,276 Speaker 2: had been spending a lot of time on eBay. 394 00:21:08,516 --> 00:21:12,116 Speaker 1: There's no question that smartphones are revolutionized shopping, but Catherine 395 00:21:12,116 --> 00:21:14,316 Speaker 1: was about to come face to face with the price 396 00:21:14,356 --> 00:21:15,396 Speaker 1: we've paid for that revolution. 397 00:21:15,876 --> 00:21:18,876 Speaker 2: I had had a baby around that time, and I 398 00:21:19,076 --> 00:21:21,676 Speaker 2: had a number of evenings where I would be with 399 00:21:21,716 --> 00:21:23,876 Speaker 2: her in the middle of the night and I'd noticed 400 00:21:23,916 --> 00:21:26,036 Speaker 2: that she was looking at me, and I would be 401 00:21:26,076 --> 00:21:28,756 Speaker 2: looking down at my phone, and more specifically, I was 402 00:21:28,796 --> 00:21:31,236 Speaker 2: often looking at door knobs on eBay, which was like 403 00:21:31,276 --> 00:21:33,876 Speaker 2: particularly ridiculous because by that point we finished the renovation 404 00:21:33,956 --> 00:21:36,556 Speaker 2: project and I didn't need to be doing that at all. 405 00:21:37,076 --> 00:21:39,356 Speaker 2: But anyway, when I noticed this happening, I kind of 406 00:21:39,396 --> 00:21:41,156 Speaker 2: had this out of body experience where I saw the 407 00:21:41,196 --> 00:21:43,916 Speaker 2: scene as if it would appear to in an outsider, 408 00:21:44,556 --> 00:21:47,916 Speaker 2: and it really disturbed me, this vision of this baby 409 00:21:47,956 --> 00:21:49,676 Speaker 2: looking up at her mother, and her mother looking down 410 00:21:49,716 --> 00:21:52,516 Speaker 2: at this glowing screen. And I also remembered from something 411 00:21:52,516 --> 00:21:56,836 Speaker 2: from my science journalism past, which is that baby's eyes 412 00:21:56,956 --> 00:21:59,956 Speaker 2: can only focus about two feet in front of their faces, 413 00:22:00,476 --> 00:22:03,356 Speaker 2: and that specifically so that they can bond emotionally with 414 00:22:03,396 --> 00:22:05,636 Speaker 2: the person who's holding them. So I found that to 415 00:22:05,676 --> 00:22:08,036 Speaker 2: be deeply disturbing as well as that she's got this 416 00:22:08,116 --> 00:22:14,156 Speaker 2: evolutionary design that's there for to facilitate our connection. And 417 00:22:14,196 --> 00:22:16,476 Speaker 2: here I am looking in at eBay. So that's the 418 00:22:16,516 --> 00:22:18,116 Speaker 2: moment when I realized, Ooh, I really want to work 419 00:22:18,156 --> 00:22:19,236 Speaker 2: on my own relationship. 420 00:22:19,836 --> 00:22:22,676 Speaker 1: Catherine started working on that relationship with some common sense 421 00:22:22,676 --> 00:22:26,476 Speaker 1: phone hacks, like shutting off her notifications and making her 422 00:22:26,516 --> 00:22:29,596 Speaker 1: phone more boring looking by turning the display to grayscale. 423 00:22:30,316 --> 00:22:32,756 Speaker 1: She even went one step further to delete the apps 424 00:22:32,756 --> 00:22:33,996 Speaker 1: she found especially tempting. 425 00:22:34,196 --> 00:22:36,396 Speaker 2: Think about the ones that you feel compulsively drawn to 426 00:22:36,596 --> 00:22:38,196 Speaker 2: and then you kind of enjoy, but then you feel 427 00:22:38,236 --> 00:22:40,516 Speaker 2: gross afterwards. That's the easiest way to tell is just 428 00:22:40,556 --> 00:22:43,516 Speaker 2: tune into your own emotions before, during, and after using them. 429 00:22:43,716 --> 00:22:46,356 Speaker 2: And you basically want to have your home screen only 430 00:22:46,396 --> 00:22:49,316 Speaker 2: contain tools you don't want temptations, And for that I 431 00:22:49,356 --> 00:22:52,636 Speaker 2: really do recommend people approach this with the spirit of experimentation, 432 00:22:53,036 --> 00:22:56,516 Speaker 2: recognizing you can always reinstall things and readjust your settings 433 00:22:56,516 --> 00:22:58,556 Speaker 2: back to where they were. But see what it's like 434 00:22:58,716 --> 00:23:01,436 Speaker 2: to just delete some of your most problematic apps from 435 00:23:01,436 --> 00:23:03,676 Speaker 2: your phone for a day. See what it feels like. 436 00:23:04,396 --> 00:23:07,396 Speaker 1: But Catherine argues that the most effective strategy for fixing 437 00:23:07,396 --> 00:23:10,436 Speaker 1: our relationship with our phones involves some advice that many 438 00:23:10,436 --> 00:23:13,396 Speaker 1: of us haven't heard. She thinks we need to cultivate 439 00:23:13,436 --> 00:23:17,796 Speaker 1: a completely new attitude towards our phone use, one of mindfulness. 440 00:23:18,076 --> 00:23:20,116 Speaker 1: We need to take the time to notice how our 441 00:23:20,156 --> 00:23:22,876 Speaker 1: phones are making us feel. Now we've talked about the 442 00:23:22,876 --> 00:23:25,956 Speaker 1: power of mindfulness and other episodes on this podcast, and 443 00:23:25,996 --> 00:23:28,636 Speaker 1: that's because there's tons of research showing that becoming more 444 00:23:28,636 --> 00:23:31,636 Speaker 1: mindful generally can be a big booster shot for well being. 445 00:23:32,476 --> 00:23:35,116 Speaker 1: But Catherine contends that we can use the same strategy 446 00:23:35,556 --> 00:23:38,916 Speaker 1: to develop a healthier relationship with our devices, one that 447 00:23:38,956 --> 00:23:40,436 Speaker 1: can protect our fragile attention. 448 00:23:40,676 --> 00:23:43,396 Speaker 2: It's a lot easier to change a habit if deep 449 00:23:43,716 --> 00:23:46,596 Speaker 2: down inside of you, you just don't want to engage 450 00:23:46,596 --> 00:23:49,756 Speaker 2: with the habit anymore. And there were a fascinating series 451 00:23:49,796 --> 00:23:52,156 Speaker 2: of studies done by the Sky Juds and Brewer where 452 00:23:52,156 --> 00:23:55,436 Speaker 2: he basically trained a group of smokers in a mindfulness 453 00:23:55,476 --> 00:23:58,716 Speaker 2: based technique where they were basically just supposed to notice 454 00:23:58,796 --> 00:24:01,276 Speaker 2: what it was like to smoke a cigarette, to notice 455 00:24:01,276 --> 00:24:03,716 Speaker 2: what a craving felt like. Don't fight it, just kind 456 00:24:03,716 --> 00:24:06,356 Speaker 2: of notice. Notice what happens if you do indulge in it, 457 00:24:06,436 --> 00:24:08,956 Speaker 2: Notice how it feels if you don't, notice how long 458 00:24:08,956 --> 00:24:11,036 Speaker 2: it last if you just kind of observe it. And 459 00:24:11,076 --> 00:24:14,436 Speaker 2: he found that the mindfulness based group quit at twice 460 00:24:14,476 --> 00:24:16,116 Speaker 2: the rate of the control group, and then in the 461 00:24:16,156 --> 00:24:19,396 Speaker 2: long run, they were five times as successful in sticking 462 00:24:19,396 --> 00:24:22,396 Speaker 2: with the quitting And when he spoke to the participants 463 00:24:22,436 --> 00:24:25,956 Speaker 2: about what had happened, he heard these really interesting comments 464 00:24:25,956 --> 00:24:28,636 Speaker 2: from people along the lines of you know, one woman said, 465 00:24:28,636 --> 00:24:31,676 Speaker 2: I really had never tasted a cigarette before, and once 466 00:24:31,716 --> 00:24:34,996 Speaker 2: I tasted it and really experienced it, I realized, I 467 00:24:35,036 --> 00:24:37,076 Speaker 2: thought this is disgusting, and I don't want to be 468 00:24:37,116 --> 00:24:37,596 Speaker 2: a smoker. 469 00:24:38,316 --> 00:24:41,076 Speaker 1: Like a smoker trying to really taste a cigarette. Catherine 470 00:24:41,076 --> 00:24:44,116 Speaker 1: decided to examine why her phone had such a powerful 471 00:24:44,116 --> 00:24:44,716 Speaker 1: hold on her. 472 00:24:44,916 --> 00:24:48,196 Speaker 2: There's interesting reasons that we reach for our phones. They're 473 00:24:48,236 --> 00:24:52,276 Speaker 2: like little security blankets. And the more you understand your motivations, 474 00:24:52,316 --> 00:24:54,836 Speaker 2: what your brain is after when you reach for your phone, 475 00:24:55,116 --> 00:24:57,316 Speaker 2: the easier it will be to come up with alternatives 476 00:24:57,356 --> 00:24:59,636 Speaker 2: to present your brain with so that you can choose 477 00:24:59,676 --> 00:25:00,836 Speaker 2: to do something else instead. 478 00:25:01,596 --> 00:25:04,316 Speaker 1: To help us become a bit more mindful, Catherine recommends 479 00:25:04,356 --> 00:25:08,916 Speaker 1: using the acronym www, which stands for what for? Why now? 480 00:25:09,356 --> 00:25:09,836 Speaker 1: What else? 481 00:25:10,396 --> 00:25:12,516 Speaker 2: What for? Like what did you pick up your phone for? 482 00:25:12,756 --> 00:25:16,316 Speaker 2: Did you actually have any purpose? No judgment? I mean like, 483 00:25:16,356 --> 00:25:18,356 Speaker 2: there's no right answer here, just why did you pick 484 00:25:18,356 --> 00:25:21,356 Speaker 2: it up? Then the why now is the emotional or 485 00:25:21,356 --> 00:25:24,756 Speaker 2: the situational question, like what was the trigger that caused 486 00:25:24,796 --> 00:25:26,676 Speaker 2: you to do it in this second? Were you feeling 487 00:25:26,796 --> 00:25:30,076 Speaker 2: socially anxious? Is it just a habitual thing? And then 488 00:25:30,116 --> 00:25:32,916 Speaker 2: the last question is what else? So what else could 489 00:25:32,956 --> 00:25:35,196 Speaker 2: you do in that moment? What do you actually want 490 00:25:35,236 --> 00:25:37,676 Speaker 2: to spend more time and attention on. What are some 491 00:25:37,796 --> 00:25:39,836 Speaker 2: things that you used to enjoy when you're a kid 492 00:25:39,836 --> 00:25:41,956 Speaker 2: that you supposedly don't have time for now, or that 493 00:25:41,996 --> 00:25:44,116 Speaker 2: you want to learn but you don't have time for. 494 00:25:45,196 --> 00:25:48,196 Speaker 1: Catherine cautions that this process might take a while. She 495 00:25:48,276 --> 00:25:51,156 Speaker 1: even recommends doing a personal experiment like this for at 496 00:25:51,236 --> 00:25:52,196 Speaker 1: least thirty days. 497 00:25:52,476 --> 00:25:56,156 Speaker 2: You actually have to take some time to retrain your 498 00:25:56,236 --> 00:25:58,956 Speaker 2: quote unquote muscle of attention so that you can get 499 00:25:58,996 --> 00:25:59,716 Speaker 2: it strong again. 500 00:26:00,916 --> 00:26:03,636 Speaker 1: But Catherine has seen firsthand that putting in the work 501 00:26:03,676 --> 00:26:05,716 Speaker 1: to regain your attention is worth it. 502 00:26:05,956 --> 00:26:09,996 Speaker 2: Attention is like money. I mean, it's finite and people 503 00:26:10,036 --> 00:26:13,236 Speaker 2: are constantly trying to get it from you. And I 504 00:26:13,276 --> 00:26:16,076 Speaker 2: would say that our attention and time are even more 505 00:26:16,116 --> 00:26:18,436 Speaker 2: valuable than money, because even if someone does convince you 506 00:26:18,516 --> 00:26:21,516 Speaker 2: to buy some stupid thing like you can make more money, 507 00:26:21,716 --> 00:26:23,396 Speaker 2: you won't get that money back, but you can still 508 00:26:23,396 --> 00:26:25,596 Speaker 2: get more money. You can't get any more time, and 509 00:26:25,636 --> 00:26:28,356 Speaker 2: you can't get any more of your attention back. So 510 00:26:28,396 --> 00:26:30,916 Speaker 2: we should be very very careful with how and where 511 00:26:30,996 --> 00:26:32,436 Speaker 2: and when we spend it. 512 00:26:32,756 --> 00:26:35,596 Speaker 1: In the last few years, Catherine has perfected her own 513 00:26:35,636 --> 00:26:41,036 Speaker 1: attentional spending by completely transforming her relationship with her phone. Nowadays, 514 00:26:41,036 --> 00:26:43,476 Speaker 1: she keeps her devices shut off and far away through 515 00:26:43,516 --> 00:26:46,676 Speaker 1: most of her family's social life. But the biggest improvement 516 00:26:46,676 --> 00:26:50,676 Speaker 1: to Catherine's happiness came from repeatedly asking herself that last 517 00:26:50,796 --> 00:26:54,436 Speaker 1: www question, what else could she be doing rather than 518 00:26:54,476 --> 00:26:58,516 Speaker 1: spending time on her phone. After some soul searching, Catherine 519 00:26:58,556 --> 00:27:01,796 Speaker 1: realized that she'd rather be devoting her limited attention to music. 520 00:27:02,556 --> 00:27:04,956 Speaker 1: She'd played the piano since she was a child, but 521 00:27:05,036 --> 00:27:07,956 Speaker 1: never had time to practice, and she'd always wanted to 522 00:27:08,036 --> 00:27:10,996 Speaker 1: learn other instruments too. Having freed up all the time 523 00:27:10,996 --> 00:27:13,916 Speaker 1: and attention she wasted on her phone, she could finally 524 00:27:13,916 --> 00:27:15,236 Speaker 1: commit to this personal goal. 525 00:27:15,476 --> 00:27:18,316 Speaker 2: I started taking this, you know, adult guitar class. It 526 00:27:18,396 --> 00:27:22,316 Speaker 2: was like byob We got together Wednesday nights and learned chords. 527 00:27:22,836 --> 00:27:26,116 Speaker 2: I just started taking percussion. Last night was my first class, 528 00:27:26,236 --> 00:27:28,476 Speaker 2: and now I'm doing guitar and percussion. I've started playing 529 00:27:28,556 --> 00:27:30,396 Speaker 2: music with some of the people from my class out 530 00:27:30,396 --> 00:27:34,076 Speaker 2: of class, and I finally feel, after living in Philadelphia 531 00:27:34,116 --> 00:27:36,276 Speaker 2: for eight years, that I have a community. I mean, 532 00:27:36,276 --> 00:27:38,436 Speaker 2: this has happened in like the past six months, and 533 00:27:38,476 --> 00:27:42,076 Speaker 2: it's all through music. And the reintroduction of music into 534 00:27:42,116 --> 00:27:44,396 Speaker 2: my life is a direct result of re examining my 535 00:27:44,476 --> 00:27:47,916 Speaker 2: relationship with my phone. For me, this has been a 536 00:27:48,116 --> 00:27:52,476 Speaker 2: really amazing experience. I never could have anticipated how many 537 00:27:52,516 --> 00:27:55,996 Speaker 2: ways my life would change as a result of this project. 538 00:27:56,356 --> 00:27:58,596 Speaker 2: And I feel like concentrating on my phone and putting 539 00:27:58,636 --> 00:28:01,516 Speaker 2: so much focus on my relationship with it really has 540 00:28:01,916 --> 00:28:04,956 Speaker 2: made me a better mother, maybe a better partner, maybe 541 00:28:04,956 --> 00:28:08,956 Speaker 2: a better friend, you know you name it, and I'm 542 00:28:08,956 --> 00:28:09,876 Speaker 2: so grateful for that. 543 00:28:12,756 --> 00:28:14,876 Speaker 1: Making this episode has caused me to take a good, 544 00:28:14,876 --> 00:28:18,116 Speaker 1: hard look at what I'm spending my attention on. As 545 00:28:18,156 --> 00:28:20,476 Speaker 1: my friends can probably tell you, I've always been a 546 00:28:20,516 --> 00:28:23,596 Speaker 1: little addicted to my phone, but I didn't realize until 547 00:28:23,636 --> 00:28:26,556 Speaker 1: now just how much it was sapping my attention and 548 00:28:26,636 --> 00:28:30,436 Speaker 1: my joy even when I'm not really using it. And so, 549 00:28:30,796 --> 00:28:33,996 Speaker 1: inspired by Catherine's advice, I've started to try to become 550 00:28:33,996 --> 00:28:37,396 Speaker 1: more mindful about why I'm turning to my phone, and 551 00:28:37,436 --> 00:28:39,996 Speaker 1: I've started to think more about all the opportunity costs 552 00:28:39,996 --> 00:28:42,676 Speaker 1: of my phone use. What happiness gorilla is am I 553 00:28:42,716 --> 00:28:45,796 Speaker 1: missing without even realizing it? What else could I be 554 00:28:45,796 --> 00:28:48,996 Speaker 1: paying attention to instead. I've started to notice that using 555 00:28:49,076 --> 00:28:51,676 Speaker 1: my phone in public prevents me from the short moments 556 00:28:51,676 --> 00:28:54,556 Speaker 1: of connection that often make my day. A quick helow 557 00:28:54,636 --> 00:28:56,996 Speaker 1: or ketchup on the street that I would have squandered 558 00:28:57,036 --> 00:28:59,716 Speaker 1: because I was staring at my email, or that deep 559 00:28:59,796 --> 00:29:02,036 Speaker 1: chat with my husband that I'd be more involved with 560 00:29:02,156 --> 00:29:04,876 Speaker 1: if my iPhone wasn't unconsciously tempting me from the other 561 00:29:04,916 --> 00:29:07,436 Speaker 1: side of the table, or the taste of my morning 562 00:29:07,436 --> 00:29:10,196 Speaker 1: coffee which I often ignore in favor of a quick 563 00:29:10,236 --> 00:29:13,916 Speaker 1: social media click. I hope this episode has caused you 564 00:29:13,996 --> 00:29:16,316 Speaker 1: to think a bit more about all the gorillas you 565 00:29:16,356 --> 00:29:19,316 Speaker 1: might be missing in life without even realizing it, so 566 00:29:19,356 --> 00:29:22,036 Speaker 1: you can start using your phone only for the things 567 00:29:22,116 --> 00:29:25,116 Speaker 1: that are really worth your attention, the stuff that actually 568 00:29:25,156 --> 00:29:27,716 Speaker 1: brings you joy, like calling a good friend, or the 569 00:29:27,756 --> 00:29:31,596 Speaker 1: occasional cat video, or even clicking on your favorite podcast 570 00:29:31,676 --> 00:29:34,556 Speaker 1: app to hear the next episode of The Happiness Lab 571 00:29:34,636 --> 00:29:45,596 Speaker 1: with Doctor Laurie Santos. The Happiness Lab is cori in 572 00:29:45,676 --> 00:29:49,036 Speaker 1: and produced by Ryan Dilly. Our original music was composed 573 00:29:49,036 --> 00:29:52,556 Speaker 1: by Zachary Silver, with additional scoring, mixing and mastering by 574 00:29:52,556 --> 00:29:56,716 Speaker 1: Evan Viola. Pete Ntton also helped with production. Joseph Fridman 575 00:29:56,796 --> 00:29:59,196 Speaker 1: checked our facts and our editing was done by Sophie 576 00:29:59,196 --> 00:30:03,516 Speaker 1: Crane mckibbon. Special thanks to Mia LaBelle, Carly Migliori, Heather Fain, 577 00:30:03,876 --> 00:30:08,396 Speaker 1: Julia Barton, Maggie Taylor, Maya Kayanigg, Jacob Weisberg and my agent, 578 00:30:08,516 --> 00:30:11,236 Speaker 1: Ben Davis. The Happiness Lab is brought to you by 579 00:30:11,276 --> 00:30:21,076 Speaker 1: Pushkin Industries and me Doctor Larry Santos.