3 ways screens are messing with your brain.

When I was young, my curiosity always led me towards imagining how the future would be. In every iteration of my imagination, I would envision a future abundant in the usage of screens. I would get so excited by imagining that all the information and entertainment that I wanted would be available in the palms of my hands. Today, we live in the future I imagined. Screens are everywhere. Flat-screen TVs, laptops, iPads, smartphones, smartwatches and what not. Screens have taken over our life and have so deeply embedded themselves in our life that they almost seem like an appendage. However, what my naïve mind did not consider was the consequences of proliferation of these screens.

“Screens are bad for you!”

“Screens are destroying our youth!”

I was sick and tired of hearing warnings like these all the time as I am sure many of you are as well. But not many of us know exactly how are these harmful. So, I decided to do a bit of research on this. My focus was to understand the effects that excessive screen time have on us, particularly our neurobiology. The results left me astounded. The future envisioned by the young me was not as exciting as I imagined. Rather, it was dangerously detrimental.

Here are the 3 ways excessive use of screens is damaging your neurobiology:

1. Disrupting the dopamine centers of the brain.

Most of the activities we commonly do on screens work on a principle called the variable rewards system which results in quicker depletion of dopamine receptors ending up in a low-motivated mood.

I know this may be a bit difficult to understand for most people so I’ll simplify it.

First of all, you need to understand what dopamine is and how it works. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (a chemical in your brain) which is responsible for reward and motivation. So, you know the sense of achievement you feel after doing a task or feeling the drive to get out of bed to do something? Yeah, that’s dopamine at work.

Dopamine is constantly released in your brain in order to make you function. However, some actions and behaviors induce an increase in the release of dopamine in the brain making things seem more attractive or enjoyable.

This chemical (i.e., dopamine) is stored in bags called dopamine receptors. The brain is programmed in a way to replenish the amount of dopamine released in normal conditions. However, when dopamine is released in a large amount, the brain cannot replenish the dopamine receptors quick enough and needs some time. The result is a temporary lack of dopamine in the brain. That is evident by how you feel a bit down after an enjoyable event has passed.

Now, scrolling Instagram, liking posts and texting all the time are activities which demand instant gratification. These are activities in which you do the minimum to achieve maximum pleasure. This pleasure is obtained by the release of large amounts of dopamine. Consequently, excessive amounts of such activities result in the brain not getting enough time to replenish the dopamine receptors resulting in a prolonged state of demotivation.

What’s more, is that studies have shown that social media, internet use and video gaming cause disruptions in D2-type dopamine receptors similar to those caused by drug abuse. Also, disruption in the dopamine levels in these type of receptors can suppress the ability to experience pleasure from natural rewards. This can result in drug seeking behavior. Moreover, a study called “The Influence of Screen Time on Mental and Physical Health of Children and Adolescents: A 12-Month Follow-Up Study" by Kuhn and Gallinat in 2014 suggested that individuals who spend excessive time on screens are more prone to substance addictions.

2. Suppressing melatonin production resulting in poor sleep.

Ok now, I am sure this has happened to most of us. You shut off the lights in our room and cozily get into bed. You feel very sleepy but decide to check our Instagram for 5 minutes before drifting off to sleep. You check the time again and an hour has passed and you are not sleepy anymore. You put your phone to the side but you still cannot sleep. This is because your brain thinks it’s daytime.

I’ll tell you how. The blue light produced from screens suppresses the release of melatonin in your brain disrupting your circadian rhythm.

Complicated? No problem. Let’s break it down.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the part of the hypothalamus responsible for the circadian rhythm (i.e., the sleep- wake cycle). Melatonin is released in response to darkness. When the eye sees darkness, it signals the brain to release melatonin. This, as a result, is a signal for the body to go to sleep. This is why most of us prefer to sleep where it is dark. Apart from that, melatonin plays a role in protecting the body against cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Blue light (i.e., light of a short wavelength) is emitted from the screens of most electronic devices. When this light falls on the photoreceptor cells of the eyes, it signals the brain that it is daytime. This, resultantly, can decrease the release of melatonin, increase alertness and delay sleep onset latency (time to fall asleep).

Disruption in the circadian rhythm caused by exposure to blue light results in poor quality of sleep. It may also deprive the body of deep REM sleep. This is a stage of sleep where the body simply shuts off and the mind goes on to do important stuff. During this stage, the brain gathers all the information you have experienced that day and consolidates it into the memory. Deep REM sleep also plays a crucial role in emotional regulation as it reduces the intensity of negative emotions.

Now you have the answer to why you are cranky in the morning when you haven’t slept well and also how poor quality of sleep is responsible for your bad grades.

3. Stunting the development of the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

We all hear that young children should not be excessively exposed to screens.

Here’s why.

It is because excessive exposure to screens hinders their brain maturation and can result in the reduction of grey-matter volume in their prefrontal cortex.

Translation: too much screen time can cause the literal stunting of the development of the most important part of a child’s brain.

The prefrontal cortex is the most important part of the human brain. It does all the thinking, emotional regulation, impulse control and plays a major part in designing their behaviors and personality.

A study called the ABCD (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development) suggests that kids spending more than 7 hours on screen develop thinner cortexes than others. This can result in:

• Reduced cognitive function: which means their memory, attention and the ability to plan and execute tasks is hindered.

• Altered sensory process: they may face difficulties in perception through their senses, mostly in seeing and hearing.

• Increased proneness to mental health issues: as their emotional processing and ability to respond to stress is compromised.

• Increased motor difficulties: they may face challenges in movement and coordination.

Excess of anything is bad. And although screens have made our lives much easier and pleasing, we must understand that that is only possible when we limit their use to healthy levels.