We Are Overstimulated

And It’s Killing Our Creativity

Credit: the image taken from Pinterest

Interviewer: In what cases do you pull out your phone when it’s not work- or task-related?

Interviewee: While waiting in a line or when I’m doing the washing-up. But the content is different, or, at least the length is: in a line I will usually scroll through some reels or TikTok’s but while doing the dishes those are mostly some long YouTube videos. And even with short ones, that’s usually some useful content, I’m not watching footage of guinea pigs (laughs) or cats doing weird stuff, well mostly not. What else? I sometimes listen to a podcast in the bath or right after the shower when I’m drying up. While commuting I read things on my phone, some articles. Occasionally I can pick up my phone while watching a movie, like last time I ordered pyjamas with the movie in the background.

Interviewer: Why do you do that?

Interviewee (shrugs): Sometimes because I’m bored but mostly because I feel the need to do something useful. I don’t always have a chance to learn something new, not when I’m at work for sure, so I kinda make up for it later. When only my hands are busy, like when I wash-up, I can learn stuff, which I do. Also, to fulfil some tasks. I’m quite busy so very often I have to do things as I go, when I remember to do them, otherwise I’ll be pyjama-less for weeks (laughs).

We are all, or at least most of us, guilty as charged to some extend, just like the Interviewee above. We pick up our phones during those short pauses of un-engagement with work and tasks to do something ‘useful’ or simply to entertain ourselves. Unable to remain in the state of calm, our nervous system is addicted to constant stimulation.

These stimuli come in all shapes and sizes — from watching YouTube while doing the dishes and listening to podcasts while walking to scrolling through reels in the loo — some are more, some are less extreme but all of them causing slow yet considerable damage to the way our brains are supposed to work.

We argue that we watch the long-form videos and listen to podcasts to learn and to develop and have not much other choice with those busy lives of ours but to insert this self-education into any available slots, and some days there are none, save for while doing the dishes. It all sounds legitimate until you learn how real learning happens.

In order to retain the information we have consumed, our brain requires a break — some period of do-not-disturb time to collect, analyse and store information. This is the reason why we used to have breaks both at school and uni, why Pomodoro technique and the likes are so effective — they give our brain the space to retain and reset, to get ready for the new portion of information.

But if we stuff ourselves with information, binging video after video, after video, not taking a breath between watching about glaciers, then a thing or two on investment and then a part of lecture on ancient languages, it will not matter whether we have watched those — tomorrow, we will barely recollect a thing.

So, watch those videos, listen to lectures and podcasts but make sure you give yourself time to actually remember something.

Additional sure-fire way to remember what you’ve learned is to discuss it with someone. Your interlocutor doesn’t have to know much about the topic themselves, but should be willing to listen, to ask questions, to comment. So that it’s a mutual exercise and not a one-sided lecture, have them prepare something to talk about too, this way you will both learn something new.

Another culprit is random task performing during those moments when we are supposed to pay attention and be submerged: like online shopping while watching a movie.

‘I hear the movie in the background’ said the interviewee defensively, while describing her experience. In the age of digital overstimulation we keep forgetting that movies aren’t something meant to be happening in the background. Movies are made to be experienced, which is only possible during a total submergence. You have to let the story take you away.

This is such a shame what shortened attention span and scrolling culture among other things are doing to the modern cinema. Nowadays some of the movies, specifically those ones where you hear every character over-explain all of their intentions, leaving nothing between the lines, are designed specifically with a scrolling audience in mind. Netflix it away while darting your gaze to the new makeup hack or a piece of self-help/investment wisdom. Who needs an artistic shot or top acting when there are meme-loaded reels or POV: she wants your boyfriend TickTocks?

To beat this, one needs to develop a discipline. There should be the time and place for movie watching, for online shopping, for reel scrolling — all separate. One needs to train themselves ruthlessly: leave your phone in the kitchen before starting a movie, you are not to be trusted with it next to you on the sofa until you no longer feel the urge to grab it once the first 10 minutes or less have passed.

It is easy to sacrifice something without knowing its purpose or importance. Like boredom, for example. When we are bored, our brain works in default mode developing all sorts of things, like creativity, self-image, mindfulness, helping come up with new ideas seemingly out of nowhere, battle anxiety and learn to ignore the distractions while concentrating on the task at hand. Take away those moments of boredom from your brain and watch it gradually stumble more and more over the simplest of tasks.

We owe it to our brains to keep them in shape so that they support us in the old age and let us enjoy our life now, which is easier when it’s fuller, when it’s intellectually rich, and is tricky to do through the phone-sized spy hole through which we are now considering the word.