Kathryn Berkett: neuroscientist on the new research revealing over half of us feel 'over-run' by phone notifications

A new study has revealed another significant impact our phones are having on our mental health.

New research reveals half of all New Zealanders over 18 now feel overrun by notifications on their phones - particularly those in the Gen Z cohort. 

Neuroscientist Kathryn Berkett says our devices are training us to be on alert for anything - and those anxious feelings aren't good for our overall well-being.

"We don want to know that people care about us and like us- so that's all we're asking people. Not to walk away from it, but to control it, to have a bit more control rather than it controlling you."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Together duples eighteen past five. Now time to talk about
one of the great scourges of modern life, which is
obviously the smartphone and the notifications that you get on
this blinking thing. According to new research commissioned by two Degrees,
half of us reckon we get too many notifications in
the day. Catherine Burkett is a neuroscience expert and with us. Now, Hey, Catherine, hi,
I'm fascinated by what this does to our heads. Right,

(00:21):
fifty percent of us feel overwhelmed. What is it doing
to our brains?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
We haven't got the time to go into that, but
in a summary, it's it's literally training us to be
on alert for I say danger, but you know, for
something We just know something's coming and you can sort
of feel it in your body, can't you if you're
anelytic hydra, Yeah, just what's coming next? Is something I
should think, there's something going to happen soon, and if

(00:49):
we don't control them, it can get a little bit Yeah,
it can get a little bit overwhelming.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Because the young people, in particular, thirty eight percent of
gen Z reckon they feel anxious, panicked, or overwhelmed at
the number of notifs. So that's that little feeling that
we get. Why, though, Catherine, do we not have the
I just like the common sense to turn the notifications off?

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Do you indulge in a little bit of whine every
now and then? Haven't you the common sense not to
have it? Because it's fun, because it's nice, because it's
a buzz, because it's in small amounts and certain amounts,
it's great, isn't it? And also, by the way, we
need these things, and that's the difficult thing is that
they're amazing. They enhance our life so much, but yet
they can also do this. So yeah, it's it's and

(01:31):
it's the addiction. It's the you know, we do want
to know that people care about us and like us.
So yeah, that's why we're asking people to not you know,
walk away from it, but to control it, to have
a bit more control that it's controlling you. So that's
that's the idea of understanding this information.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
What do you do, Catherine, What do you do to
control your notifications and your phone's impact on your life?

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Actually, I mean I have notifications off, but I actually
also have trained myself not to salivate to the bell right,
not to jump up as soon as there's a ping.
If there's a ping, and I can be sitting around
with some other adults and I'll go, that was your phone,
I'm going, yeah, it's fine, I'll get it later. I'm
not controlled by it. It doesn't make me want to
go over, So I've trained my brain to not ping,

(02:21):
run over. Do you see what I mean? So there's
that as well, because I'm in control of it. It's
not going to control my life.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yep, yep, yep. I love what you're doing there, Catherine,
Thank you very much. It's good good news. You can
use Cathern Burkett Neuroscientists.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
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