Downgrade to a dumbphone - possible?

Have been fighting against dopamine in all forms (social media and internet in general, fast food, not exercising) during the last year or so.

I realized that even after deleting all social media (only have whatsapp now), that is sometimes not enough, as I find myself watching youtube in my phone, checking the same conversations, etc.

Did somebody downgrade their smartphone to a dumbphone / flipphone? I have another phone for work, so my job shouldnt be a problem

So the question is: is it possible to give up whatsapp and all the other convenient things a smartphone has (google maps, youtube, access to a browser, etc.)? I am concious that also my dating chances could be severely hurt

What do you guys think?

 

I’ve thought about this a lot. Looked into lots of options. There are a couple options that allow you to keep your smartphone but only use a basic device that links up to the smartphone. There’s a few competitors but this is the main one

https://www.thelightphone.com

Bottom line is you need a smart phone for work. But it’s nice to be able to put the smart phone away and just use a basic one for a while. 
 

Couple other tricks I’ve used a) make your iPhone screen black and white b) get a smaller iPhone c) honestly, stay busy. I find myself staring at my phone when I’m not occupied. Always have a goal / something to do and you won’t stare at your phone as much

 

Have thought about this a lot as well.

At the end of the day, a smartphone is pretty much necessary these days.

  • I pay for everything with Apple Pay
  • many restaurants don’t even have menus anymore just QR codes
  • need Google maps to know where I’m going
  • need Spotify to listen to music (I don’t classify music as a dopamine I want to cut out)
  • need WhatsApp to talk to family
  • Need my banking app to verify transactions.

These are just a few examples.

I think the best way is to limit your smartphone down.

  • The black/white idea is a great one, I use it myself.
  • Delete all (absolutely all) apps on your phone that aren’t necessary.
  • Put screen-time limits on websites like YouTube so that you can’t access them on your phone.
 

This is what I have been trying to do, now I only had banking apps, gmail and whatsapp on my phone (even though I had to hide the apps like chrome or youtube - can't uninstall this in an Android except maybe coding?). I also have dating apps which I should probably delete also although I have a limit of 15' for both of them.

Agree with the rest of comments - any tips to reduce computer usage also?

Music and dopamine has been a tough one for me also - sometimes I try to not turn it on while walking in the street to be able to be "with my own thoughts" and this has been beneficial

 

Honestly, do it. I've been getting more and more surprised at how many like-minded people there are on WSO, it's eerie. Like seriously, EVERYONE (or, nearly everyone) here works out/ exercises/ lifts heavy, tries hard at work, reads (like, actual books), tries to eat healthy, tries to fight mediocre dopamine like social media and smartphones. When you think about it, so few people out of the total population do these things. Cringe but true

 

"try" is the operative word, even exemplified by your username. But to counter Yoda, "try" is all we can do. Might be a bit of an echochamber at times, but for good behavior it's very reinforcing which is nice and wholesome.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

"Dopamine Detox" isn't real.  It's a pseudoscience and it's the latest self improvement fad.  Dopamine does not decrease when you avoid activities like using your phone.

While dopamine does rise in response to rewards or pleasurable activities, it doesn’t actually decrease when you avoid overstimulating activities, so a dopamine “fast” doesn’t actually lower your dopamine levels.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dopamine-fasting-misunderstanding-s…

If you spend hours on social media every day, then it may be beneficial to cut back on it but there is no benefit to never listening to music, never watching videos or any of the other ludicrious things people have suggested.  You are just missing out on enjoyable things to chase imaginary/placebo benefits.

 

I think people misunderstand dopamine a bit, it's not a bad chemical. In fact we want dopamine, we couldn't function without it. What is bad is getting unearned dopamine from videos, tiktoks, WSO bananas, etc. I don't think it's a placebo at all for people to cut these things out. These things elicit huge dopaminergic responses.

 

Reread the article.  If you abstain from watching videos or getting bananas in WSO, it won't make other aspects of your life more pleasurable.  Which is why dopamine fasting isn't real, and cutting those things out of your life won't do any good.  In the the most moderate case it's just a cool science-ey name for centuries-old ideas like meditation or "rest on the Sabbath" and at worst it's giving up things you enjoy for imaginary benefits.

 

Respect the commitment, though I'd say it's pretty much impossible to live w/out a smartphone these days. That said, get rid of all the apps that tempt you and practice self control. I've rid myself of all social media except Facebook and LinkedIn (and WSO I suppose).

Don't watch YouTube and others if you are trying to get away from it. This just comes down to self-control, easier said than done but you're really hacking off an arm instead of a finger when you down-grade to a non-smartphone. Perhaps once you're 65+ you can do that but until them it will affect your life negatively and limit you in a ton of ways (QR codes at restaurants, buying tix online on the fly, getting tickets sent to you digitally for concerts or flights, etc)

 

I have a friend (not in finance) that had a porn addiction and so got rid of not only his smartphone, but also his laptop which is next level.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

tbh that was a poor choice of words on my part, he's not my friend per se but he's in a group I'm involved in and mentioned it, so I don't have anything to compare it too. He seemed well adjusted though. He's a teacher so he doesn't necessarily need to be constantly plugged in.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 
Most Helpful

I had solely used a dumb phone for roughly half a decade and only last year added a smartphone to the mix for work purposes only. Work phone only has the necessary apps and a filter to prevent me from slacking off and wasting time (same with computer). I try very hard to leave the work phone at work and only bring the dumb phone home but ultimately depends on when I leave work, if I'm travelling, and if I'm expecting something to come through later. It has been extremely liberating, able to focus on what I want to at home and don't feel like I'm always tied to work. 

Feasibility depends on your situation and your need to be available. I run my own business (multiple) and ultimately have ownership over my workflow. I try very hard to keep work at the office and not work/thinking about work when I'm home with my family. If there are a few things I need to get done, I'll go into my office (not far from home) for a bit at night or the weekend instead of doing at home to prevent wasting time on computer and getting carried away with what actually needs to get done. 

If I was still in IB, the extent to which I could limit myself would be much different. I would recommend limiting the apps and either using the screentime or a filtering program very seriously.             

My flip phone is from https://sunbeamwireless.com/ which works with a bunch of carriers

 

I'm on my smartphone all the time. It would be hard for me to handle this. Although for about 12 months in 2013 - 2014 I went without any phone and survived. I was pretty happy without one when I got used to it. It is freeing in a sense for everyone around you not to have a phone and everyone is just focused on the conversation.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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