How to Be Human

Take a walk on any given day these days, and instead of staring at your phone, try looking around. If you want to do this on hard mode, leave the phone at home if you can manage. You’ll probably notice more than you expect.

Studies show that nearly half of Americans check their phones within five minutes of waking up. Meanwhile, many people express feelings of disconnection and loneliness, even as they remain absorbed in their digital worlds rather than engaging with the potential connections surrounding them.

From my observations, there’s a pattern of scrolling through social media that’s become almost reflexive for many of us. The subway, with somebody nodding off, somebody arguing on speakerphone, somebody trying to haul a stroller through the door, often becomes just another backdrop for digital consumption. Yet the stories happening in real time around us can be far more captivating than another algorithmically curated feed.

Our attention has become so divided that navigating public spaces sometimes feels like a game of human Frogger. The near collisions with fellow pedestrians deep in digital conversation has become a common urban experience. Research suggests that “smartphone zombies” actually walk differently—more slowly and with less awareness of their surroundings—something scientists have begun studying in earnest.

The phone-in-hand has become something of an additional appendage for many. That’s just how a lot of us move through the day now. What’s worth considering, though, is what happens in the spaces between constant stimulation. Neuroscientists have found that moments of boredom can actually spark creativity and problem-solving—mental muscles that might atrophy in our notification-saturated environment.

Then there’s our compulsion to document experiences rather than fully immerse in them. There’s something wonderfully ironic about crowds gathering around masterpieces like Van Gogh’s Starry Night, experiencing it primarily through their phone screens, despite the incredibly high resolution photo on Wikipedia being technically superior to most quick snapshots. A lot of the time, getting the photo seems to matter more than standing there and actually looking.

I’ve found a lot in occasionally disconnecting and just watching what’s going on. This isn’t a moral crusade. I just think it’s worth deciding, once in a while, not to hand every spare minute over to the phone.

Try a short digital sunset each day—just 30 minutes of phone-free time in a public space—and see what you notice.