Vow

What the research says about the internet, focus and mood

Last updated:

Studies show that less time online tends to mean better attention and a better mood. In one 2025 trial, 91% of people who blocked the internet on their phones for two weeks improved. Here are the key studies in plain words, with links to every original paper.

These studies looked at phones, social media and laptops, not at Vow. They help explain why less internet often means more focus and a better mood. We’ve kept each one in plain words and linked the original.

Attention and focus

91%

467 adults blocked the internet on their phones for two weeks. 91% got better in attention, mental health or well-being. Their attention improved by about as much as it normally declines over 10 years of ageing.[1]

47 sec

How long people stayed on one screen, on average, before switching, across studies from 2016 to 2020. In 2004 it was about two and a half minutes.[2]

Even off

Just having your own phone on the desk, switched off and face down, lowered scores on memory and thinking tests. People did best with the phone in another room.[3]

Lower scores

Students who multitasked on a laptop during a lecture scored lower on a test afterwards, and so did students who could see their screens.[4]

Mood and well-being

4 weeks

People who turned off Facebook for four weeks spent more time offline, felt a bit happier, and kept using it less afterwards.[5]

10 min

Students who limited Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to 10 minutes each a day for three weeks felt less lonely and less depressed.[6]

Colleges

When Facebook arrived at US colleges, students’ mental health got worse, especially depression. Researchers linked it to comparing themselves with others.[7]

Stress

People who scroll bad news more also report more stress and anxiety and lower well-being. This is a link, not proof of cause.[8]

Screens and ADHD symptoms

+10% odds

For each extra kind of digital media teens used many times a day, their odds of new ADHD symptoms over two years rose by about 10%. A link, not proof that screens cause ADHD.[9]

What this means for you

You don’t have to quit the internet. The studies point to something simpler: less of it, at the right times, helps. Pick the hours that matter, like study time, deep work or late at night, and make them offline. Guides: how to stay focused on a Mac, social media addiction, ADHD focus on a Mac.

Try Vow free

Vow is a Mac app that turns off your internet and keeps it off until your timer ends, from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Try 3 full sessions free, then pay $9.99 once. Requires macOS 26 or later on Apple Silicon.

Buy Vow · $9.99 Try 3 sessions free

Sources

  1. Castelo, N., Kushlev, K., Ward, A. F., Esterman, M., & Reiner, P. B. (2025). Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being. PNAS Nexus, 4(2), pgaf017. doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf017
  2. Mark, G. (2023). Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity. Hanover Square Press. Summary in: University of California, “How to sharpen your attention and meet your goals in 2024”. universityofcalifornia.edu
  3. Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain drain: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), 140–154. doi.org/10.1086/691462
  4. Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24–31. doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.003
  5. Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2020). The welfare effects of social media. American Economic Review, 110(3), 629–676. doi.org/10.1257/aer.20190658
  6. Hunt, M. G., Marx, R., Lipson, C., & Young, J. (2018). No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751–768. doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751
  7. Braghieri, L., Levy, R., & Makarin, A. (2022). Social media and mental health. American Economic Review, 112(11), 3660–3693. doi.org/10.1257/aer.20211218
  8. Satici, S. A., Gocet Tekin, E., Deniz, M. E., & Satici, B. (2023). Doomscrolling scale: Its association with personality traits, psychological distress, social media use, and wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18(2), 833–847. doi.org/10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7
  9. Ra, C. K., Cho, J., Stone, M. D., et al. (2018). Association of digital media use with subsequent symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder among adolescents. JAMA, 320(3), 255–263. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.8931