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The intention behind creating smartphones, as with most technological innovations, was probably to make us smarter. Unfortunately, that’s not how we really use our phones. While you can learn a thing or two from clever TikToks and Instagram posts, incessant doom scrolling does nothing to help you. 

According to People Magazine, research from Vision Direct found that people spent an average of four hours and 33 minutes on their phones each day before the pandemic. That number increased to five hours and two minutes during lockdown.

While we may come across the occasional helpful tidbit while using our phones, or even use our phones to research a certain topic, most of our time is spent mindlessly scrolling. This does nothing to help our intelligence. In fact, it can actually feel like it’s dumbing you down. 

To combat this feeling, a TikToker who goes by the username @olivia.unplugged shared a list of five things she consistently does to increase her intelligence in a video. Following her advice will leave you feeling smarter in a world of screens.

If you notice your phone has dumbed you down, do these 5 things to make yourself smart again:

1. Spend time on worthwhile hobbies

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Unfortunately for all the screen addicts out there, Olivia confirmed that scrolling does not count as a hobby. Instead, she’s talking about things that will get you away from screens as much as possible. She said that people often excuse their lack of hobbies by saying they don’t have enough time or money. That’s why she has separated her hobbies into three categories: a free hobby, a “coffee money” hobby, and an investment hobby.

For Olivia’s free hobby, she and her friend started a book club and read nonfiction books together every month, in addition to the fiction reading she already does in her free time. (Remember, library cards are free!) “What I call my coffee money hobby,” she explained, “is really just me making a small sacrifice within my monthly budget, and that funds my coffee money hobby, which is crocheting.” An investment hobby is exactly what it sounds like — something you have to invest a little bit of money in to make it work. Olivia decided to buy a used DJ set for that.

Taking the time for some simple hobbies will really benefit you. Heidi Godman, the executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter, shared the results of a study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers examined the results of five studies involving more than 93,000 participants aged 65 or older. Over 60% of those participants had chronic physical or mental health conditions. The ones who implemented hobbies reported that they were both healthier and happier.

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2. Engage in research

Researching is not just that thing you did in school when you had to write a paper. It can actually be a fun way to spend time and stimulate your brain. Olivia offered a personal experience to serve as an example. “For example, I went and saw ‘Tron’ last night,” she said. “Tonight, I am doing a deep dive on the sound engineers. The soundtrack was incredible. I wanna understand, how many people did it actually take to be able to create this experience?”

This seems to make sense. If you had to do so much research in school, it must make you smarter, right? And, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), believing you can become smarter is the first step to actually doing it. Social psychologists Aronson, Fried, and Good conducted a study in which they told one group of college students that intelligence was something that could change, while a control group was not given the same information.

“Those students who learned about IQ’s malleability improved their grades more than did students who did not receive this message, and also saw academics as more important than did students in the control group,” the APA explained. There are untold benefits to actually pursuing knowledge, and research is one of the best ways to do that. “Curiosity is a skill,” Olivia said. “Use it to your benefit.”

3. Learn a new language

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This may sound intimidating, but Olivia argued it could be fun. She explained, in French, that she is learning French because she lives in Paris and her boyfriend is French. “You don’t have to live in a different country to learn a new language,” she assured viewers. This may sound counterintuitive because many of the most popular ways to learn a new language are through apps and websites that teach you lessons. Although it may sound shocking to a screen-obsessed generation, there are actually other ways to learn a new language, like using books.

It’s not exactly easy to pick up a second language, but doing so seriously helps out your brain. Dr. Roy Hamilton, MD, a trustee of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, stated, “Learning a new language can be immensely helpful for cognitive health, particularly as we age. This is because language learning engages a wide range of complex cognitive abilities, including memory, attention, and problem-solving, which can help to create and strengthen connections in the brain.”

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4. Slow down your pace

This one definitely sounds counterproductive. After all, if you want to learn more, shouldn’t you work faster? Not necessarily. Becoming smarter is about your brain health, not just about learning. Olivia explained, “We live in a world that rewards urgency, so I’ve built boundaries in my life that actually force me to slow down … What that does is it completely resets my baseline and I actually start feeling pleasure in the simple things instead of always urgently searching for dopamine.”

This is one that will definitely require putting your phone down. You can’t exactly slow down your pace with it. “In essence, slowing down and appreciating today is not just about savoring the moment; it is about nurturing our own growth and well-being,” licensed therapist John Kim, LMFT, said. “It helps us develop self-awareness, gratitude, and meaningful connections, all of which are vital ingredients for personal growth.” In a world that’s used to instant gratification, try to slow down your pace just a bit and notice how much it helps.

5. Get 10,000 steps and eat breakfast every day

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Olivia admitted that this is a physical activity, not a mental one, but it still has good implications for your brain health. “Exercise increases blood flow to the brain,” she said. “I also start every single day with a high-protein breakfast. It stabilizes your cortisol and your blood sugar levels, and it gives your brain exactly what it needs to really, truly think clearly.” She knowingly added, “Your morning coffee does not count as breakfast. Your brain deserves better than that.”

The University of Kansas Medical Center said, “Walking around 10,000 steps a day appears to be linked to less dementia and less cardiovascular disease overall, with less heart disease, less heart failure, and fewer strokes.” Similarly, writing for WebMD, Lisa O’Neill Hill said, “Many studies have linked eating breakfast to good health, including better memory and concentration, lower levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, and lower chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight.”

Taking some time to step away from your phone and learn a new skill, or to nourish your body and brain, is a great way to spend your time. It can make you feel smarter and dull the effects of doomscrolling on your mind. It’s also relatively simple and doesn’t cost much money either, so it’s a win-win.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.