What Happens To Your Brain When You're Always On Your Phone

If your phone is more like an extension of your hand than a separate entity, you fit in with close to 50 percent of the U.S. population, who say they can't live without their smartphones . 

"We have become intolerant of a moment of being alone ," social psychologist Sherry Turkle told Business Insider in the video above. "Our brains really need constant stimulation, and that's perhaps the most dangerous change of all."

Why dangerous? It's pretty crucial to be calm and focused in order to make important life decisions. But our connection to tech has obliterated our attention spans . Mindfulness  --  the practice of being aware of one’s thoughts and feelings in the present moment, has major health benefits, like decreasing a person's risk for obesity and stress -related conditions. To be constantly stimulated means we're not fully in touch with our consciousness, and not really equipped to be rational.

There are certainly ways to mitigate these scary changes that are evolving as we increasingly become a tech-based nation. The easiest way to start is to prescribe yourself a digital detox . Unplugging for a few minutes, an hour or an entire weekend can make a huge difference.

Purposefully unplugging throughout the day -- whether at a yoga class or while journalling -- can help your brain to reboot and refocus, too. Gifting yourself with a rest from technology will no doubt make it easier to have a clear head. Give it a try.