In the early 1980s (eons ago in terms of telecommunications), psychologist Craig Brod wrote Techno Stress: The Human Cost of the Computer. That title struck home with other scientists in psychology and neurology. A 2020 paper by colleagues at the Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases in Italy defined technostress as “a psychophysiological state characterized by high levels of stress-sensitive hormones, as well as cognitive systems, such as poor concentration, irritability, and memory disorders.” It further stated that “the condition” could be not only work related but also an effect of social media addiction.
“There’s scientific evidence showing that when you are behind a [computer or mobile device] screen, there is less engagement happening. So even though you may be having a conversation, it is easy to get pulled into scrolling social media and news,” says Dr. Rustin Dakota Carter, medical director and chair of psychiatry at Eisenhower Behavioral Health.
In 2021, Stanford University researchers created a Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale to measure the deleterious health effects of human interaction limited to computer screens. They arrived at four key stress inducers related to videoconferences: (1) everyone is looking at everyone else all the time, (2) seeing yourself in real time is fatiguing, (3) video chats dramatically reduce mobility, and (4) cognitive overload is high because you work harder to receive signals when body language and gestures are suppressed. A 2023 study by the Institute of Neural Engineering at Austria’s Graz University of Technology found that videoconferencing negatively impacts brain-wave activity and heart rate to the point of exhaustion and the struggle to pay attention.
illustration by Kotryna Zukauskaite
From Carter’s perspective, technostress extends to seniors in another aspect: Without lifelong exposure to the digital realm, they feel “left out” in their ability to engage in the way people around them do so.
“Intergenerational change can put up barriers to communication,” he says. On top of that are stressors such as age-related health issues, decreased mobility, and isolation. “Stress, in a general sense, affects physical and mental health. When you are older, you may already experience high blood pressure or heart issues. So even a little stress may cause problems that wouldn’t have affected you when you were younger. Even though we think of stress at the brain level, it impacts the whole body. As we age, our bodies may not function as well or function differently.”
A 2018 article in The Johns Hopkins News-Letter explained how the brain’s triggering of a flood of hormones in the face of stress impacts the body at the cellular level.
“The fight-or-flight response can often lead to mitochondrial damage in bodies,” the article explains. “This can be especially detrimental because the mitochondria have very little repair mechanisms. … In addition, damaged mitochondria can cause the literal spilling of DNA out of the mitochondria and into the rest of the cell, eventually finding its way to the bloodstream. … [This] circulating DNA seemingly mimics the release of cortisol, which at extremely high levels can lead to hypertension, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and even type 2 diabetes.”
The first step in preventing such spillage of DNA is acknowledging the presence of stress.
“Talk about what is going on to friends, family, colleagues, a primary-care physician, or psychiatrist,” Carter suggests.
Mitigating technostress may involve a double-sided approach: becoming more knowledgeable about the digital devices and programs while also seeking routines that omit them.
“[Technology] is a tool,” Carter says, “but so is going out to a movie or dinner with friends.”
challenge
Decrease the amount of time you spend in the digital realm.
