Have you ever tried a digital detox, or a diet to reduce your sugar intake? If so, then you’ve already struggled with this uncontrollable stimulation in your brain, which seems to constantly push you to do things that are bad for you—like spending another hour zoning out on your phone, for example.
These stimulations can be particularly tiring and sources of stress, especially since society quickly makes us feel “weak” if we do not know how to control them. We quickly feel an overflow, as if our brain is saturated, torn between these stimulations and the desire to resist them. What if it wasn’t really our fault?
“Superstimuli” and superfatigue
This is explained by Danish researcher Nicklas Brendborg, who is publishing a book on the subject. According to him, behind these hyperstimulations lies a subtle phenomenon: our brain is in fact manipulated. This has nothing to do with a lack of willpower: in reality, distractions play with our biological instincts.
The author draws on the concept of “superstimuli”, developed by the Dutch scientist Nikolaas Tinbergen. In his experiments, the latter showed that birds preferred artificial eggs that were larger and more colorful than their own natural eggs. Their instinct told them that the larger and more colorful an egg, the better its survival potential.
As The Independent summarizes it, a “superstimulus” is therefore a kind of exaggeration of what we are naturally attracted to: a bigger, brighter or more intense version than the natural option.
Today, humans are constantly subjected to these “superstimuli”. Bad food, often too sweet, amplifies our desire for sugar; pornography overstimulates to the point of blurring our sexual desire; drugs provide quick access to euphoria; As for screens and smartphones, with their uninterrupted and attractive notifications, they cause cognitive overload. Fortunately, this is not inevitable.
Counterattack
Nicklas Brendborg’s work shows that we should not blame ourselves for consuming what is harmful to us, because deeply rooted forces are at work. But the researcher also offers techniques to prepare your counter-offensive. Because the best defense is attack, or counterattack.
One of the techniques consists of giving pride of place… to boredom. According to the Scandinavian researcher, boredom and monotony are essential to counteract most “overstimulation” and calm a brain that is constantly agitated.
On the diet side, this involves less sugar and salt, to resensitize the palate and reaccustom it to the standards of natural foods – until processed foods become too sweet or salty to be pleasant. A less varied, more monotonous diet also reduces the temptation to overeat.
On the screen side, it’s about making our devices less attractive: we can switch our device to black and white mode, or use applications that “make the interface boring”. If you have trouble deleting social networks, Nicklas Brendborg offers an alternative: having a “kale phone” and a “cocaine phone”. The first, which we carry all day, contains only essential applications, such as messaging; the second, with all the distraction apps, stays at home. You still need to own two smartphones.
