Entering ChinaIn the early morning, when the first rays of sunlight have not completely penetrated the curtains, many people have unconsciously reached for their mobile phones next to their pillows. The moment the screen lights up, app pushes and message notifications are like invisible hands, dragging people into a never-ending information vortex. “The Phone You Can’t Put Down: Your Runaway from Your Reloaded Brain” (Carl. D. March, translated by China Science and Technology Press) is like a mirror, reflecting people’s anxieties in the information age. In the wave of technology, the brain is quietly undergoing a silent “reloading” that we may not be aware of.
At the beginning of the book, an unexpected point is thrown: the reason why I can’t put down my phone is not because I am weak-willed, but because the reward system of the brain has been quietly “hijacked”. The prompt sound of every new message and the likes of every social platform stimulate the secretion of dopamine. This neurotransmitter, which was originally a mechanism in human evolution to reward survival behaviors such as “foraging”, is now being “appropriated” as a tool for instant gratification by an infinitely scrolling stream of information. The brain is like a machine that has been implanted with new programs, and the “happy button” that was originally used to maintain survival has now become a switch for information to manipulate attention. Even more alarming, this high-frequency stimulation is changing the structure of the brain. In people who have been relying on mobile phones for a long time, the function of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making, self-control, and attention, gradually declines, while the limbic system, which is responsible for immediate responses, becomes more active. As a result, the harder it is for us to control ourselves, the easier it is to fall into the vicious circle of “swiping our phones, short-term pleasure, emptiness, and continuing to swipe our phones”. The authors refer to this process as the “reloading of the brain,” and the reloaded system has deviated from the original premise of human evolution.
In discussing social media, the authors acknowledge the convenience of digital connectivity, but also reveal the contradictions behind it. We may receive hundreds of likes in the circle of friends, but we are relatively silent with our relatives and friends in reality. Neuroscience studies have shown that the pleasure of likes and the deep emotional satisfaction of social bonds activate the same brain region. When shallow interaction replaces face-to-face communication, the brain gradually equates “being noticed” with “being loved”, and the innate ability of human beings to empathize is increasingly dulled. This alienation is particularly pronounced among adolescents. The book describes a typical scene: a group of children sitting together, but each of them looking down and scrolling through their phones, as if they were strangers in the same space. The authors refer to this phenomenon as “group loneliness.” Technology has made us “connected” like never before, but we are also “alienated” like never before. At the same time, this alienation is often packaged as “free choice”: we think we are in control of our phones, but in fact they shape our social patterns.
As a psychiatrist, the author maintains the calmness of a scientist and the warmth of a humanist. The book proposes practical techniques and methods, and instead of completely abandoning technology, it advocates the “re-education” of the brain. For example, setting a digital fasting day, rebuilding offline social rituals, and cultivating deeply focused hobbies such as reading and crafts can gradually repair overstimulated neural circuits. The authors suggest that parents should “watch” electronic products with their children instead of “letting them go”, and that parents can discuss the content in electronic products with their children to make it a good time for parent-child interaction. Because human beings need real touch, eye contact and emotional resonance after all, technology is only a means, not an end.
This book is a sobering agent, forcing us to confront the fact that our relationship with technology goes beyond the use of tools. As the book says, “The reloading of the brain is not yet complete, and we still have the opportunity to choose which programs to keep and which code to uninstall.” “In this silent struggle, every moment you put down your phone is a small victory for self-awareness.
