Digital detox by giving up smartphones: which regions of the brain change when we don't look at our mobile phones. And no, it's not about the reward centre. And it's not about dopamine or addictive behaviour.

Giving up mobile phones as a digital detox: what the smartphone does to our brain and how smartphone withdrawal leads to greater well-being, and why dopamine has nothing to do with it

Three days without a mobile phone can do more than three weeks' holiday - why consciously giving up our mobile phones not only relieves our brain, but also recalibrates our reward system.

Digital devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. But constant interruptions, push notifications and sensory overload have consequences. A recent study from Heidelberg and Cologne shows that just 72 hours without unnecessary smartphone use has a measurable effect on how our brain reacts to digital stimuli. This article explains why consciously giving up mobile phones makes sense, what it does to the brain and how you can regain more well-being, mental health and concentration in the long term.

What it's all about

In this article, you will learn what giving up your smartphone triggers in the brain - and why exactly this can lead to more inner peace and mental clarity. We shed light on how digital stimuli influence our dopamine system, what happens in central regions of the brain when you give up your mobile phone and what positive effects this can have on your concentration, mood and life satisfaction. You will receive practical tips on how to deactivate push messages, organise offline time in a meaningful way and integrate regular breaks from digital media into your everyday life on a permanent basis. The focus is not on doing without, but on consciously dealing with digital media - for more calm, clarity and genuine connection.

What does digital detox mean here?

The term "digital detox" suggests a detox from technology, as if the smartphone is a toxin and we just need to cleanse ourselves to be functional again. Equally unfounded is the idea of a dopamine addiction, as if every scroll triggers a chemical high to which we are defencelessly at the mercy of. Such narratives sound catchy, but above all they absolve the designers of digital media of responsibility - and distract from the real problem: the way we structure our attention.

Instead, a digital detox means consciously giving up smartphones and other digital media for a certain period of time. The aim is to limit digital use and create offline time to regenerate attention, dopamine balance and mental health.

In the above-mentioned study, young adults refrained from non-essential smartphone use for 72 hours. Emergency calls, navigation or work contacts were allowed, but social media, games or news apps were taboo. The results showed that the brain reacted differently to mobile phone stimuli.

Why do too much screen time and digital use harm us?

On average, people spend several hours a day on their smartphones. The constant use of digital devices leads to a state of constant irritability - we are always available, are constantly disturbed by push messages and switch between stimuli every second.

This constant online time can be overwhelming and lead to mental overload. What is particularly problematic is that this flood of stimuli means that our brains hardly get any real rest - even in our free time.

What role does dopamine play when dealing with digital media?

Dopamine is not a reward hormone, but a neurotransmitter that is involved in anticipation, learning and goal-orientation. It does not work like a happiness boost at the touch of a button, but regulates how strongly we perceive actions as rewarding - depending on whether expectations are fulfilled or disappointed. When using digital media, it is less about immediate reward and more about constant anticipation: the expectation that something interesting, new or important might happen.

Notifications, likes or scrolling through feeds create a permanent sense of anticipation. This does not have a euphoric effect, but binds attention - often in a short, choppy form. The real problem lies not in the "excess dopamine", but in the overlapping of competing stimuli that put the dopaminergic system in a state of chronic anticipation. This leads less to addiction in the classic sense than to a fragmentation of attention and an increasing sensitivity to stimuli in everyday life. A conscious approach to digital media interrupts this cycle - not because dopamine needs to be "detoxified", but because the brain learns to develop its own rhythms again.

What happens in the brain when we give up mobile phones?

The study from Heidelberg and Cologne shows: Just three days of abstinence from non-essential smartphone use lead to measurable changes in two central regions of the brain: the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the nucleus accumbens. Both areas are not to be understood in isolation as a "reward centre" - they are components of a networked system that influences our ability to evaluate, make decisions and control ourselves. This network is not simply about whether we "feel happiness", but about how our brain makes attributions of meaning: What is important? What is urgent? What should I react to now?

The nucleus accumbens reacts particularly strongly to stimuli where a reward is suspected but not guaranteed. This form of anticipation creates a kind of neuronal tension - comparable to the brief pause before opening a message, pulling up a feed or the appearance of a new notification. The brain does not become "happy", but wide awake. It registers: "There could be something that affects me." This constant anticipation is what exhausts us in the long run - not the content itself, but the constant focus on potentially relevant stimuli.

If these impulses are absent for a few days, something crucial happens: The brain no longer has to react to every possibility, but is allowed to differentiate, sort and prioritise. The fMRI image shows this process as reduced activity in the above-mentioned areas when viewing smartphone-related images - an indication that the emotional and motivational relevance of the digital stimuli has decreased. What was previously a signal for immediate action now appears less urgent to the brain . This process is similar to neuronal weaning, as described for other habit patterns.

The anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in error recognition, impulse control and self-reflection, among other things, also shows altered activity patterns during such breaks. You could say that the constant loop of stimulus - reaction - reward is broken. The time without a smartphone creates a kind of neuronal interspace in which the system does not have to constantly react, but can begin to recalibrate itself. This is precisely what enables processes such as emotional regulation, focus, patience and a sense of inner clarity - not because the device has been "detoxified", but because the brain can once again distinguish what is important in the first place.

The actual change is therefore not a magical calming of the brain, but a functional reorganisation: less stimulus response, more ability to evaluate. The brain does not use the stimulus pause for passivity, but for reconfiguration. For many people, this manifests itself in a feeling of mental spaciousness, more patience in everyday life or the surprising experience of returning to their own perception - without having to constantly lose themselves.

What are the positive effects of giving up mobile phones?

Consciously giving up your smartphone can trigger surprisingly profound changes - not only in the short term, but also in the way you experience everyday life as a whole. After just a few days, many people report that their thoughts seem less fragmented, their attention becomes more stable and tasks can be tackled with more clarity and inner calm. The ability to concentrate returns not because you are trying harder, but because there are fewer competing stimuli fighting for attention.

There is also an emotional shift. The subtle restlessness caused by constant availability and expectation subsides noticeably. Those who don't reach for the device at every opportunity are signalling to themselves: I am here now. The nervous system is allowed to calm down. As a result, many people experience a new form of emotional balance that has nothing to do with withdrawal or control, but rather with regained self-efficacy.

The effect is particularly noticeable in social situations. Conversations without looking at the display, shared breaks without scrolling, encounters without digital in-between: All of this frees up space - for real listening, for glances that are not constantly distracted, for moments that are truly shared. Those who regularly take these breaks often notice that not only does everyday life slow down, but life satisfaction quietly increases. Not because life changes, but because perception becomes clearer. The brain, relieved from the state of constant stimulus processing, is allowed to breathe again.

Why sensory overload reduces our concentration

Digital stimuli do not appear in isolation - they appear in dense succession, often simultaneously or superimposed: messages, pop-ups, likes, updates, advertising banners, acoustic signals, visual movement patterns. What appears to be a stream of small tidbits of information is a permanent prompting mode for our brain. Every new piece of information reactivates the attention network and requires a short-term cognitive switch. These are not normal, well-dosed stimuli, but artificially condensed impulses that often have no clear relevance, but still need to be processed.

This stimulus overload overtaxes the prefrontal cortex system in particular, which is responsible for planning, focus and working memory. If new stimuli are constantly arriving, the ability to prioritise and consolidate information decreases. Attention remains on the surface and thinking becomes fragmented. Studies show this: Even brief interruptions - such as a notification, even if it is ignored - lead to measurable performance losses in problem solving and verbal-logical thinking.

The constant micro-distraction caused by reaching for a smartphone has a particularly serious effect. This reach is not a purely motorised process, but a cognitive switch: from inside to outside, from focus to dispersion. If this impulse becomes a habit, the brain loses the ability to stabilise deep states of concentration (so-called "deep work" phases). Memory processes become more fragmented and the emotional balance is thrown out of sync more quickly, as stimuli are no longer processed in a filtered manner but reflexively.

In the long term, this condition leads to a kind of cognitive exhaustion - a state in which the brain is constantly active but hardly thinks in depth. Mental health suffers not only from the amount of information, but also from the loss of inner stillness. Motivation becomes more erratic, memory performance declines, decisions are made more impulsively. Only in the absence of constant stimuli does it become clear how much concentration is actually a state of stimulus limitation - and how much energy the brain saves when it doesn't have to react to everything all the time.

Push notifications take us out of the moment, release adrenaline and increase our desire to use our smartphone.

Setting certain apps to "silent" or activating the "do not disturb" mode creates distance from the flood of stimuli. Deliberately deactivating notifications also helps to reduce the need to reach for your mobile phone.

Do we really need a "Do Not Disturb" mode for life?

The "Do Not Disturb" mode on your mobile phone is more than just a function. It symbolises a new, more conscious approach to digital media. Anyone who consciously sets up offline phases recognises how much energy is drained by constant digital use.

These phases create space for real encounters, relaxation and creative ideas. Time without digital distractions brings us back to ourselves.

Which offline times are particularly suitable without having to sacrifice professional availability

Some times of day are ideal for digital detox:

In the morning after getting up: No reaching for your smartphone in the first hour

Before going to bed: Offline time for better sleep

Weekends or holidays: targeted abstinence from digital devices

Even 30 minutes less screen time per day can have a positive effect. If you take the plunge, you will quickly realise how much regeneration even short breaks can bring.

How to integrate digital breaks into your everyday life in the long term and make room for real reality

Conscious use of digital devices starts with small steps. Fixed offline times, leaving the mobile phone in certain rooms or reducing it to functional use help to establish healthy habits.

In the long term, the aim is not to ban digital use, but to control it. This creates a balance between online and offline time that promotes mental health and enables greater well-being.

The most important points summarised:

Digital detox means consciously abstaining from digital media such as smartphones

Studies show: Just 72 hours without social media and co. measurably changes the brain

Fewer stimuli promote inner peace, concentration and emotional stability

Push notifications and scrolling are detrimental to mental health

Small changes such as fixed offline times or deactivating notifications have a big impact

Conscious use of digital devices promotes quality of life and self-determination

A digital detox is not a technophobia, but an invitation to self-care in the digital age without having to give up its achievements.