Away from it all

What if we took a break, away from all of the technological machines and distractions we cling to every day? We are attached and addicted to some of these devices! It is argued that heavy technology use, which is only growing, can inhibit deep thought and cause anxiety, and that getting away or into a relaxing place can help (nature). 

From an article in the New York Times, Todd Braver and a team of scientists did exactly this, and got away from it all. The team traveled to Glen Canyon National Park in Utah, and stayed there for a week pursuing one goal: to understand how our heavy use of digital devices and other technology changes how we think and behave, and how a retreat into nature might reverse those effects.

There was no cell phone service on location, laptops were left behind and e-mail was inaccessible.  Some thought it was just time to relax and get away from work, but the trip’s organizer, David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, said that studying what happens when we step away from our devices and relax our brains, how attention, memory and learning are affected-is important science.  Mr. Strayer also added, “understanding how attention works could help in the treatment of a host of maladies, like attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia and depression. And he says that on a day-to-day basis, too much digital stimulation can “take people who would be functioning O.K. and put them in a range where they’re not psychologically healthy.”

At the end of civilization, or downstream, was where their adventure began. They rafted through the canyon, set up camp when it was dark and slept outside surrounded by nature alone. Participants noticed that nature started to refresh the brain. Mr. Strayer said, “Our senses change. They kind of recalibrate-you notice sounds, like these crickets chirping; you hear the river, the sounds, the smells, you become more connected to the physical environment, the earth, rather than the artificial environment.” A sad fact is that currently, more people are more connected to the artificial environment rather than the actual one we live in.

So do we need more time to let loose and get away from it all? It is questionable whether it will improve our mental and emotional capacity. The world, (in terms of technology) is growing immensely, so sometimes we need to step back and go back to basics.

Tara McKenna