As humans, our physical evolution is a much slower process than that of our mental evolution. The human body is developing no faster today than it did a million years ago, yet our minds are evolving rapidly, progressing more in the past couple hundred years than the preceding millions of years combined. As a result, we’re now living with 21st century minds in bodies not dissimilar to those of the stone age.
Consequently, the body still has some ‘features’ that it no longer requires, such as the “flight-fight response” - a term coined by American physiologist Walter Cannon in 1929. Cannon was referring to the body’s immediate mustering of all it’s resources, in preparation for an intense activity such as to fight, or flee from a predator.
The Kovert team have experimented with a plethora of ‘life-hacks’, but have found that one of the most effective changes we’ve made to our workday doesn’t actually take place in the office, it’s how we wake up at home....
Fascinated by human performance, our team synthesized research on sleep/wake cycles and routines in order to understand how they affect our capacity to perform to the best of our ability. Off the back of this research, we created a five-step Morning Ritual that not only helps reduce stress, but also sets the body up for more rational thought, increased memory recall and balanced blood sugar levels, making us a more collaborative, more creative and even more motivated as a team.
The negative effects of elevated cortisol levels caused in part by digital overstimulation and stress are endless. Some of the most noteworthy symptoms are the negative impact it has on our immune system and our deteriorating memory recall ability. You may have noticed the people who are busy and stressed are often sick -- this correlation has been confirmed by doctors who have studied how cortisol affects our immune system by interfering with T-cell production and function (i.e. our immune cells), thus making us more susceptible to invading pathogens. This was outlined in a longitudinal study that compiled over 30 years of research to find correlations between acute stressors, increased cortisol and lowered immune response.
There's no need to re-state the statistics on phone checking. We all acknowledge we spend too much time staring at a screen, but wasted time aside, more concerning is our decreasing level of patience, reduced levels of empathy, dwindling conversational skills, challenges with real human connection and our inability to be alone with our own thoughts... not to mention the negative effects smartphones are having on our ability to focus.
But it turns out the most detrimental side affect of our smartphones is in fact stress. The good news is that we’re each in control of our own propensity to disconnect from the noise of modern life and manage our own stress levels, start with this Kovert life hack...
In the Northern Natal regions of South Africa, Zulu tribes traditionally acknowledge other human beings at the start of every encounter by gazing into each others eyes in silence for 10 seconds, before the elder of the two says “Sawu bona” meaning “I see you”, to which the younger replies, “Sikhona” - “I am here.”
Our ability to really connect with one another is a huge part of what makes us human. This simple act of acknowledgement is the most important aspect of their daily interaction. For this indigenous group, until they are seen in this way every day, they do not exist.
We conducted an experiment in eye contact to understand more...
The last decade of technological innovation has resulted in a rapidly responsive and dialled in nation. We’re only ever of couple of taps away from our thousands of ‘friends’, and an infinite web of free, digestible information. We're more digitally connected than ever before, it's all so seamless and accessible... too accessible for some; sixty percent of people say they suffer from notification fatigue and are looking for ways to disconnect from their smartphone so that they can reconnect with real life.
At Kovert we ask, what is connection? How does digital connection affect real human connection? And how can we use technology to make us more human, not less?
As our relationship with technology evolves, psychologists are noting a significant correlation between excessive use of devices and psychiatric signs of loneliness, depression and anxiety. On a fundamental level, smartphones are affecting our ability to just, be.
Rather then sitting alone with our thoughts, most of us would would much prefer to refresh our email (again), scroll through the instagram feeds of people who's lives are seemingly more exciting... Studies show that despite being connected to thousands of people through our digital networks, these relationships are failing to have the same positive psychological impact as connecting with another person authentically offline.
