You need to unplug and start connecting with the real world!
By YourTango Experts and Charles J. Orlando and John Gray and Rhoberta Shaler, PhD and Shannon Rios Paulsen and Jennifer D. Maddox — Written on May 21, 2015
Over the past few years, we've become super dependent on social media and technology. Most of our news comes from our Twitter feeds and Facebook walls.
Nowadays, you can't go out without having your phone a touch away. If we're at dinner or watching a movie, our social media accounts follow us everywhere.
It's no wonder that we have such a short attention span today. If we can't spend a minute without checking up on our phones, how will we ever form connections with real people?
Better yet, what is the full impact that this will have on our relationships with the people around us?
According to the Experts, we're in desperate need of a wake up call. Authors John Gray and Charles J. Orlando, Relationship Help Doctor Rhoberta Shaler, Shannon Rios Paulsen LMFT, and Jennifer Maddox LCSW stress the harmful effect that your technology obsession has on your relationships. Out of the many excellent points mentioned in the video, these two immediately jumped out at us:
1. That initial passion disappears.
John Gray mentions that, "When you're in a relationship, and once the newness wears off [and] routine sets in, it doesn't stimulate a lot of dopamine. And if our brain's missing the dopamine receptor site, due to all of this over-stimulation, our relationships are getting shorter. People are losing the passion. They're losing the interest."
Yikes.
2. You have a short attention span (and are less focused on making your relationship work).
It's a fact that when you spend so much time focusing on one thing, other areas in your life start to suffer. How can you expect your relationship to work if you're overly focused on what's going on in the digital world vs. the one right in front of you.
As scary as it is, there are just two reasons. There are many more. But don't take our word for it, watch what the Experts have to say. It's a warning your relationship will thank you for later.
Bottom line: technology is a seductive mistress. She sneaks into your life and as we can all attest, she can be very hard to get rid of. For most of us, what we need the most is to unplug and connect with the real world. This is where real relationships happen, not on your phone. It may sound like a simple solution but it's one that's been proven time and time again to work for us all.