<p>I recently sat down with Jose Briones - digital minimalism advocate, book author, and YouTuber - for a conversation about intentional technology use, dumb phones, and the analog life. I first discovered Jose through his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/josebriones" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>, and this conversation did not disappoint. We covered a lot of ground, from the history of technology in our homes to the surprising link between financial freedom and digital independence. Here is what came out of it.</p><br><p>=========</p><br><p>The topics covered in this conversation - screen time effects on mental health, the attention economy, the cognitive benefits of handwriting and analog tools, and the relationship between financial autonomy and wellbeing - are backed by a growing body of peer-reviewed research. Here are some key studies and papers grouped by topic.</p><br><p><strong>Screen time, smartphone use, and mental health</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Ratan, Z.A. et al. (2021). "Smartphone Addiction and Associated Health Outcomes in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review."&nbsp;<em>International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health</em>, 18(22), 12257.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212257" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212257</a></li><li>Twenge, J.M. &amp; Campbell, W.K. (2018). "Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study."&nbsp;<em>Preventive Medicine Reports</em>, 12, 271-283.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003</a></li><li>Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K.T. &amp; Pignatiello, A. (2020). "Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health."&nbsp;<em>CMAJ</em>, 192(6), E136-E141.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.190434" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.190434</a></li><li>Allcott, H., Gentzkow, M. &amp; Song, L. (2022). "Digital Addiction."&nbsp;<em>American Economic Review</em>, 112(7), 2424-2463.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20210867" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20210867</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>The attention economy and addictive design</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Bhargava, V.R. &amp; Velasquez, M. (2021). "Ethics of the Attention Economy: The Problem of Social Media Addiction."&nbsp;<em>Business Ethics Quarterly</em>, 31(3), 321-359.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/beq.2020.32" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1017/beq.2020.32</a></li><li>Lupianez-Villanueva, F. et al. (2020). "The Struggle for Human Attention: Between the Abuse of Social Media and Digital Wellbeing."&nbsp;<em>Healthcare</em>, 8(4), 497.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040497" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040497</a></li><li>Mujica, A.L. et al. (2022). "Addiction by Design."&nbsp;<em>Medical Research Archives</em>, 10(2).&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v10i2.2677" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v10i2.2677</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Benefits of handwriting and analog tools</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Umejima, K. et al. (2021). "Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices: Brain Activation Differences During Memory Retrieval."&nbsp;<em>Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience</em>, 15, 634158.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.634158" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.634158</a></li><li>Van der Weel, F.R. &amp; Van der Meer, A.L.H. (2024). "Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity."&nbsp;<em>Frontiers in Psychology</em>, 14, 1219945.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945</a></li><li>Marano, G. et al. (2025). "The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing - Who Wins the Battle?"&nbsp;<em>Brain Sciences</em>, 15(3), 285.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030285" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030285</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Financial autonomy and wellbeing</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Fischer, R. &amp; Boer, D. (2011). "What is more important for national well-being: Money or autonomy? A meta-analysis of well-being, burnout, and anxiety across 63 societies."&nbsp;<em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology</em>, 101(1), 164-184.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023663" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023663</a></li><li>Ngamaba, K.H. et al. (2020). "How closely related are financial satisfaction and subjective well-being? Systematic review and meta-analysis."&nbsp;<em>Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics</em>, 85, 101522.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2020.101522" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2020.101522</a></li></ul><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>