The ObservatoryDeliberate pause: the feed
A week away from the aimless scrolling. Not from screens, not from friends, just from the feed. An experiment with surprisingly good research support, and one rule: make it measurable.
How it works
- Pin down the feedChooseRate
- Set the formChooseWrite
- Measure before and afterRateChoose
The screen is not the problem. The map, the bank and the messages to Mom live there too. The pause is about the aimless part: feeds built to never run out. The first step is to honestly pin down where your hours actually …
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Why does it work?
Lambert et al., Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (2022): randomized study. A week’s break from social media improved wellbeing and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. Hunt et al., Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (2018): limiting use to 30 min/day reduced loneliness and low mood. The effects are small to moderate and measured short-term; long-term effects are not established.
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Read more
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Concrete friction tricks that make scrolling a little harder, instead of relying on willpower
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Set a time when screens go off an hour before bed, decide what you do instead, and put your phone out of reach.