6 Tech Traps We All Fall Into (And How To Avoid Them)

By: Lindsay Holmes

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Technology can be a beautiful thing: It connects us to our family across the country, it exposes us to captivating stories, real and fictional … but it also has its downsides.

Admittedly, we’re all a little guilty of indulging in our devices too often, whether it’s checking our texts one too many times while we’re out to dinner or just wasting precious minutes dissecting our old roommate’s new romance. Luckily, there are ways to avoid these pitfalls in order to approach life in a more mindful manner. Below are six tech traps we constantly get sucked into and how to fight your way out of them. Take that, smartphone addiction.

1. Snapping a picture of the moment instead of savoring it.

That sunset may be beautiful, but if you’re not truly enjoying it — without your phone — you may not really remember it. Research suggests that our phones aren’t the best cameras, our memories are. A 2013 study revealed that people who took photos of art remembered less about the work than those who just stopped to soak it all in. And while photos are an incredible way to preserve a memory, we shouldn’t be experiencing every important moment in our life through a screen. Next time, let the mind do the image capturing.