Bodies together, Minds elsewhere. The impact of screens on our lives is significant. While they offer many benefits, constant reliance on screens can sometimes make face-to-face interactions feel more challenging. Do you think screens have changed how we connect in person? How screens have changed in-person connection? Screens let us edit, delay, and curate interaction. That trains the nervous system to expect control. Face-to-face interaction is the opposite: real-time, uneditable, full of micro-risk (tone, pauses, eye contact). So when people say “in-person feels harder now,” it’s often because: - They’ve practiced low-risk communication - And deconditioned themselves from live emotional feedback This isn’t weakness - it’s conditioning. We haven’t lost the capacity for deep in-person connection. We’ve lost conditioning Attention fragmentation leaks into presence Screens train: - Rapid context switching - Partial attention - Constant novelty scanning In person, presence requires: - Sustained attention - Tolerating silence - Tracking subtle cues So even when two people are physically together, their attention habits may still be optimized for screens, not humans. This creates a mismatch: Bodies together, minds elsewhere. Just like physical strength: Use it → it feels natural Don’t use it → it feels awkward, effortful, even anxiety-provoking Awkwardness is not a flaw. It’s a signal of underused capacity. We notice: - Awkward dinners - People on phones - Shallow small talk We miss: - The fact that when phones are put away intentionally, connection often deepens faster than before - That many people now crave depth more intensely because screens made superficiality obvious So the story isn’t: “Screens ruined connection.” It’s closer to: “Screens raised the contrast between shallow and real connection.” Screens didn’t destroy our ability to connect. They exposed how much connection depends on trained attention and emotional tolerance. In other words: - Screens changed the default - Not the ceiling The people who rebuild: - Attention stamina - Comfort with silence - Embodied presence often report deeper in-person connection than pre-screen life, because it’s now chosen, not accidental. Face-to-face connection has always required capacity: - Emotional regulation - Listening without escape - Being seen without filters Screens didn’t remove those requirements. They just gave us a way to avoid training for them. Avoidance feels easier, until you try to return. https://paragraph.com/@kazani/bodies-together-minds-elsewhere?referrer=0x45e43896d1FBA7CecbF034d82D790BB71cB5e589

Bodies together, Minds elsewhere. The impact of screens on our lives is significant. While they offer many benefits, constant reliance on screens can sometimes make face-to-face interactions feel more challenging. Do you think screens have changed how we connect in person? How screens have changed in-person connection? Screens let us edit, delay, and curate interaction. That trains the nervous system to expect control. Face-to-face interaction is the opposite: real-time, uneditable, full of micro-risk (tone, pauses, eye contact). So when people say “in-person feels harder now,” it’s often because: - They’ve practiced low-risk communication - And deconditioned themselves from live emotional feedback This isn’t weakness - it’s conditioning. We haven’t lost the capacity for deep in-person connection. We’ve lost conditioning Attention fragmentation leaks into presence Screens train: - Rapid context switching - Partial attention - Constant novelty scanning In person, presence requires: - Sustained attention - Tolerating silence - Tracking subtle cues So even when two people are physically together, their attention habits may still be optimized for screens, not humans. This creates a mismatch: Bodies together, minds elsewhere. Just like physical strength: Use it → it feels natural Don’t use it → it feels awkward, effortful, even anxiety-provoking Awkwardness is not a flaw. It’s a signal of underused capacity. We notice: - Awkward dinners - People on phones - Shallow small talk We miss: - The fact that when phones are put away intentionally, connection often deepens faster than before - That many people now crave depth more intensely because screens made superficiality obvious So the story isn’t: “Screens ruined connection.” It’s closer to: “Screens raised the contrast between shallow and real connection.” Screens didn’t destroy our ability to connect. They exposed how much connection depends on trained attention and emotional tolerance. In other words: - Screens changed the default - Not the ceiling The people who rebuild: - Attention stamina - Comfort with silence - Embodied presence often report deeper in-person connection than pre-screen life, because it’s now chosen, not accidental. Face-to-face connection has always required capacity: - Emotional regulation - Listening without escape - Being seen without filters Screens didn’t remove those requirements. They just gave us a way to avoid training for them. Avoidance feels easier, until you try to return. https://paragraph.com/@kazani/bodies-together-minds-elsewhere?referrer=0x45e43896d1FBA7CecbF034d82D790BB71cB5e589