Let’s talk about technology for mindfulness. But before we do, let me just put this out on the table: Those two words do not belong together. Technology is the reason we need mindfulness. Tech isn’t an answer, it’s the cause of the problem. Seriously, tech for mindfulness is like “yelling for silence” or “sex for chastity.”
Mindfulness is often defined as the practice of returning to the present moment, or, as Jon Kabat-Zinn puts it, mindfulness involves “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Then there is “technology” like our smartphone, our beloved apps, smart gadgets, and all the games—the endless array of the online and offline gaming that so many love. This is our new reality, a critical part of our lives, but far from tools for mindfulness. Tech tools and toys are more like distractors or time occupiers to avoid sitting with a resting mind.
So, can mindfulness and technology commingle? Oil and water? Perhaps. After all, how do you return to the present moment when you are too busy playing your iPhone. Let’s be realistic. Who has time to be right here, when we are always playing there? I mean, this whole process of being pulled to your smartphone is increasing with better and bigger smartphones that integrate with everything and ping, ping, ping every second with e-mails, texts, tweets, Snapchats, and more. Can this really lead to improved well-being?
Liza Kindred, CEO of Mindful Technology, reminds us that since 2014, more people in the world have had access to mobile phones than toilets. Really? And that 90 percent of Americans have their phones within reach 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Indeed, Kindred says that “Scientists are working every day to make super addictive apps. It’s changing the biology of our brains, getting these dopamine hits” (Erin Griffith, “Tech Addiction and the Business of Mindfulness,” Wired, May 14, 2018).
There is even a new mental health diagnosis being made to describe what is happening to us because of the technology that brought us smartphones. Curious to see if you have it? Okay, start by answering these four questions:
- Do you play video games on the Internet in excess?
- Are you compulsively shopping online?
- Can’t physically stop checking Facebook?
- Is your excessive computer use interfering with your daily life—relationships, work, school?
According to Christina Gregory PhD, if you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be suffering from Internet addiction disorder (IAD), also commonly referred to as compulsive Internet use (CIU), problematic Internet use (PIU), or iDisorder. She says that somewhere between 8 percent and 38 percent of the entire population has it.
The troubling thing about this disorder is that we are all endlessly surrounded by technology. It’s E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. There just isn’t enough sand for us to hide our heads in, and, frankly, who wants to? I like my addiction, but I realize it may be getting a bit out of hand with no end in sight. iPhone XS? How do I say “no”? Do I have to?
So now what?
Well, wait for it. . . .
Mindfulness. Mindfulness is currently being explored by researchers as a possible treatment for technological addiction. But even if you don’t think you have it, mindfulness just might be an answer for you anyway. Sure can’t hurt. Just ask a mindful person. Look for the one person not on her iPhone, yet looking calm and happy.
But seriously, this raises a really interesting question: Can technology be used to help us achieve greater mindfulness? Let me be more precise: Can technology be used to help save us from, well, technology?
The idea of mindfulness and technology teaming up is new, and, I think, more than a little ironic. But, nevertheless, it’s catching on fast. How fast? According to WebWire, the U.S. meditation market was estimated to be valued at $959 million as of 2015, growing to $1.08 billion in 2016, and $1.21 billion in 2017. Marketdata forecasts 11.4 percent average yearly growth, to $2.08 billion by 2022 (WebWire, September 26, 2017). Move over peanut butter and chocolate, there is a new odd couple taking over.
Mindfulness without tech improvement is already used to help relieve physical conditions such as stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties. Mindfulness meditation is also used to treat depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, couples’ conflicts, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Positive Psychology: Harnessing the Power of Happiness, Personal Strength, and Mindfulness, a special health report published by Harvard Health Publishing, 2019).
It turns out that because of tech tools, mindfulness is also currently being explored by researchers as a possible treatment for all types of technological addictions.
So back to you for a minute. Let’s just say that you probably don’t have IAD, CIU, or PIU, but if you are like me and exhibit those Type A personality features so many lawyers have, then you may need a little help. (Remember that “yes” answer to one of the four questions above?) The good news is that there is a thriving industry betting that you will need them and ready to give you mindful tech tools for better health and focus.
So, finding a path to mindfulness, it turns out, can be improved with technology. Mindful technology comes in many forms. There are wearables, smartphone apps, and even virtual-reality platforms. Here are a few you may like.