Use More Paper - the global analog revival

I recently sat down with Jose Briones - digital minimalism advocate, book author, and YouTuber - for a conversation about intentional technology use, dumb phones, and the analog life. I first discovered Jose through his YouTube channel, and this conversation did not disappoint. We covered a lot of ground, from the history of technology in our homes to the surprising link between financial freedom and digital independence. Here is what came out of it.=========The topics covered in this conversation - screen time effects on mental health, the attention economy, the cognitive benefits of handwriting and analog tools, and the relationship between financial autonomy and wellbeing - are backed by a growing body of peer-reviewed research. Here are some key studies and papers grouped by topic.Screen time, smartphone use, and mental healthRatan, Z.A. et al. (2021). "Smartphone Addiction and Associated Health Outcomes in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 12257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212257Twenge, J.M. & Campbell, W.K. (2018). "Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study." Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K.T. & Pignatiello, A. (2020). "Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health." CMAJ, 192(6), E136-E141. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.190434Allcott, H., Gentzkow, M. & Song, L. (2022). "Digital Addiction." American Economic Review, 112(7), 2424-2463. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20210867The attention economy and addictive designBhargava, V.R. & Velasquez, M. (2021). "Ethics of the Attention Economy: The Problem of Social Media Addiction." Business Ethics Quarterly, 31(3), 321-359. https://doi.org/10.1017/beq.2020.32Lupianez-Villanueva, F. et al. (2020). "The Struggle for Human Attention: Between the Abuse of Social Media and Digital Wellbeing." Healthcare, 8(4), 497. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040497Mujica, A.L. et al. (2022). "Addiction by Design." Medical Research Archives, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v10i2.2677Benefits of handwriting and analog toolsUmejima, K. et al. (2021). "Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices: Brain Activation Differences During Memory Retrieval." Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 15, 634158. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.634158Van der Weel, F.R. & Van der Meer, A.L.H. (2024). "Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity." Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1219945. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945Marano, G. et al. (2025). "The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing - Who Wins the Battle?" Brain Sciences, 15(3), 285. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030285Financial autonomy and wellbeingFischer, R. & Boer, D. (2011). "What is more important for national well-being: Money or autonomy? A meta-analysis of well-being, burnout, and anxiety across 63 societies." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(1), 164-184. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023663Ngamaba, K.H. et al. (2020). "How closely related are financial satisfaction and subjective well-being? Systematic review and meta-analysis." Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 85, 101522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2020.101522 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.