The School of Life’s Alain de Botton makes the argument that—if we pay attention, if we keep track—there’s an understory to why we pick up our phones:

It’s not about information

Yes, our phones (or rather, the apps therein) are designed to addict us, to draw us back, to keep us scrolling and never let us go. We indeed seek out information like our ancestors once sought out berries; searching, encouraged by a small discovery, looking for more. The neurochemistry is similar.

But when we look at the “when” of picking up our phones, de Botton says, it tells a different story:

We pick them up not to find out what’s going on with the world, but rather specifically to not find out what’s going with ourselves. We pick them up to white out some anxiety we don’t want to examine, a line of thought we don’t want to go down, memories we don’t want to consider, futures we do not want to have to worry about.

And of course, phones do have a great educational potential, are an immensely powerful tool for accessing knowledge of many kinds—if only we can remain truly conscious while using them, and not take them as the new “opiate of the masses”.

De Botton bids us, when next we pick up our phone. ask a brave question:

“If I weren’t allowed to consult my phone right now, what might I need to think about?”

As for where from there? There’s more in the video:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Further reading

Making Social Media Work For Your Mental Health

Take care!

And how to get the most out of the correct kind of device:

There’s no stopping this red light

Over the past 5 years, the use of red light therapy (RLT) has moved from being a fringe “biohack” to a more mainstream, research-backed tool.

It’s not new, though! RLT originated in the 1960s when a Hungarian scientist observed improved wound healing and hair growth in rodents exposed to low-level red light.

Now here in the modern era, strong evidence supports red light therapy for wound healing, collagen production, skin health, and treating hair loss, nerve damage in extremities, and age-related macular degeneration.

Going down the list, less certain but promising applications include muscle recovery, ameliorating depression symptoms, managing the pain of conditions ranging from osteoarthritis to fibromyalgia, and improving metabolic and cardiovascular health.

How it works: it’s not magic; red and near-infrared light stimulate mitochondria by interacting with cytochrome c oxidase, increasing ATP production and thus cellular energy. Other mechanisms include reactive oxygen species signaling for tissue repair and nitric oxide release to improve oxygen availability.

What kind of device is best: simpler devices with red (around 660nm) and near-infrared (around 830nm) wavelengths are more effective than more complex devices with additional wavelengths (including multicolored lights).

This is particularly important as wavelengths above 1000nm or below 500nm can irritate sensitive skin and (ironically) cause redness rather than calming effects.

As with many things, consistent use—ideally daily or at least 5 times per week—is necessary to see noticeable benefits.

And of course, results are best supported by a broader routine including skincare (e.g. tretinoin), diet, exercise, and sleep, rather than relying on RLT to do all the work alone. Your body is, after all, a system of systems, and works best when treated holistically!

For more on all of this, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Casting Yourself In A Healthier Light ← our main feature about RLT

Take care!