\n Before I started my experiment, I spoke with neuroscientist Tj Power, who specializes in phone addiction, to get some advice on how to put my phone away \u2014 and keep it away.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cOur brains are extremely overstimulated, and it\u2019s burning out our dopamine receptors,\u201d Power tells me.\n <\/p>\n
\n Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in our brains that makes us feel joy or excitement. It\u2019s been linked to pleasure, reward and motivation, Dr. Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, previously told CNN<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI always warn people, they\u2019re going to feel worse before they feel better,\u201d Lembke, the author of \u201cDopamine Nation<\/a>,\u201d said when asked about her suggestion of abstaining from items that trigger our dopamine.\n <\/p>\n \n My decision to put down my phone came at the same time as a landmark social media trial was underway in Los Angeles, with Big Tech companies facing questions about whether their platforms could cause addiction in some people. Ultimately, a jury found Meta and YouTube<\/a>, which is owned by Google, were negligent in the design of their platforms, knew their design was dangerous and failed to warn of those risks, and caused substantial harm to the plaintiff.\n <\/p>\n \n Meta and YouTube, which both denied the lawsuit\u2019s allegations and contested the idea that their platforms could be addictive, said they planned to appeal the verdict.\n <\/p>\n \n I didn\u2019t consider myself a phone addict \u2014 I thought I used the phone as much as any other person. Which means that by noon on a recent Friday before I started my experiment, I had picked up my device 88 times according to its \u201cpick up\u201d tracker.\n <\/p>\n \n But once I put it down for the 88th time, I realized the rectangular piece of metal I carry with me at all times has become my second brain. It really was time to do a personal digital detox. I pitched the story to my bosses, promising I would still use technology for my job (just my laptop without any social media access) and started looking for experts to help me begin.\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s Monday morning, and I have physical therapy a half-hour drive away. I hop in a cab \u2014 phone locked away in the depths of my bag \u2014 and start my drive unplugged from the music I would usually play in my earphones. Maybe keeping my phone with me is cheating, but I do it just in case I need it.\n <\/p>\n \n For the first time in four months since moving to a new city, I notice a park that I had been meaning to visit. I\u2019m also aware that the cabdriver keeps scratching his head \u2014 an observation I would usually miss with my head buried in my phone.\n <\/p>\n \n After leaving physical therapy, I cave quickly to my phone. Despite bringing my physical cards to pay \u2014 I didn\u2019t check my bank account balance. My payment bounces, and reluctantly I pull the phone out to check my account and move money into it.\n <\/p>\n \n I put my phone back away, determined to stay off it for the rest of the day. Successfully.\n <\/p>\n \n The following day, I promise to try and not look at my phone.\n <\/p>\n \n Tuesday morning starts strong. I go to the gym \u2014 with no headphones to play music or smartphone to track my workout. Fortunately for me, I run into my colleague Ivana and hope to chat. But unfortunately for me, Ivana is wearing headphones and is ready to work out on her own.\n <\/p>\n \n I get a ride into work with another colleague in my apartment building and start my day. I\u2019m working just fine until midafternoon.\n <\/p>\n \n I\u2019m living in a majority Muslim country during my experiment, and Ramadan starts this Tuesday evening. Many shops across the country close during the monthlong holiday. I haven\u2019t bought nearly enough supplies, so I hop online to purchase some essentials before the evening.\n <\/p>\n \n Doing so is allowed, as part of the digital detox, my colleagues said. I can use my laptop for work. I just need to stay off my smartphone and social media accounts.\n <\/p>\n \n I add my items to my online cart, go to check out and remember that my bank account emails a two-factor authentication code to my personal phone. I try to log into my personal email on my work laptop, so I don\u2019t have to open my phone again. But I get the password wrong. Then I get the password wrong a second time.\n <\/p>\n \n The only solution? An email sent to my trusted device to confirm it\u2019s me trying to log in. My trusted device is, no surprise, my phone.\n <\/p>\n \n Perhaps I should just stay logged out of my email for the remainder of the week? But I decide against it. I do need some groceries after all. Reluctantly, I switch the phone off airplane mode and enter the two-factor authentication code for my grocery order.\n <\/p>\n \n Maybe tomorrow will be my day.\n <\/p>\n \n Wednesday proves my most successful day yet. I head to the gym in the morning, hop in my friend\u2019s carshare and leave my phone in its drawer at home. Even if I wanted it, I couldn\u2019t use it.\n <\/p>\n \n Power, the neuroscientist, had warned me I would experience withdrawal symptoms, including possibly feeling anxious, having a low mood and being tired without the stimulation from my phone.\n <\/p>\n \n He\u2019s right. It\u2019s only been three days, and I am absolutely exhausted. Every morning I feel like I haven\u2019t slept enough, with the only noticeable change being without my phone.\n <\/p>\n \n Lembke recommends a 30-day abstinence trial \u2014 also known as a \u201cdopamine fast,\u201d as it takes around four weeks to reset reward pathways in the brain.\n <\/p>\n \n I check back in with Power and ask him whether my exhaustion could be linked to being without my phone.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cDopamine \u2026 it has a cousin in our system called adrenaline,\u201d he tells me.\n <\/p>\n \n Adrenaline is a hormone and a neurotransmitter<\/a>. It\u2019s responsible for the body\u2019s fight-or-flight response and helps transmit messages across the body.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt might not be that you\u2019re suddenly more exhausted, it might be that you actually were pretty exhausted, but the phone was masking it,\u201d he tells me. \u201cWe don\u2019t realize how exhausted we are until some of the external stimulation stops.\u201d\n <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/nokia-pic-export.jpg\")
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