Ramadan and Healthier Engagements with Tech

Ramadan allows us to flourish in many ways, some that we can conceive, others we cannot. The holy month provides opportunities to consider how best to spend our time, channel greater energy into devotion to God, and critical self-reflection, and strengthen self-control faculties. In doing so, we may consider Ramadan as a moment for reducing our screentime. But should our efforts to make our engagement with tech healthier focus on decreasing use or avoiding altogether? 

Beyond Marshmallows

The pioneering work of Walter Mischel and his famous marshmallow experiments have fascinated for decades. Mischel’s enduring finding was that children who were able to resist sitting in front of a marshmallow for a period – in other words, delay their gratification – lived happier and more successful lives across several important measures.

However, we are no longer staring down marshmallows, but rather hyper-intelligent devices that are engineered to be addictive. These not only promise culinary, but social gratification and more as our lives become increasingly enmeshed with smartphones. Both the hardware (devices themselves) and software (apps and social media platforms) are continuously being designed to be more addictive and engaging.

Technology has enabled testing, updates, and rollouts in an unprecedented fashion. While most stay secretive, companies like Netflix have been open about (some of) their activities. Content is designed to appear never-ending, with persistent novelty and the appearance of infinity with carousels. Smartphones are designed to be incredibly accessible, making their integration into our lives seamless in a way that smart glass designers are still trying to crack. Perhaps most unnervingly, we do not yet know just how these new forms of technology are impacting us, though scholarly research paints an alarming picture.

Situational Agency

Writing in the New York Times, the psychologist Angela Duckworth cites research with her own students showing that those who studied without their phones nearby performed better academically than those who kept them close. Underlying this is the concept of situational agency; you might not have the power to resist picking up your phone, but you can structure whether it is within reach or sight. 

Of course, we can use both our willpower in the moment and structure our surroundings to depend on it less. The “Strength Model” of self-control, for example, implies that as we focus on adhering to fasting during Ramadan we might be susceptible to other vices such as overuse of our phones due to self-control strength being depleted. The model further suggests that by the end of the month, our newly exercised self-control faculties will be stronger than before and less susceptible to depletion.

How else can we improve our engagement with tech as per findings from psychology? In line with Duckworth’s advice, not always carrying our phones and not always having them within eyesight is a practical option. Setting boundaries can also be an aid, including geographical (a room with no phones allowed) and temporal (post-Isha cut-off time). Recruiting a confidant or loved one to assist in our goalmay supportwith accountability. Fighting tech with tech through restricted use apps or “dumb phones” offer blunt solutions that lessenour reliance on self-control. 

In terms of whether we should use Ramadan to inculcate healthier habits with tech, or fast from them altogether, there is no unequivocal answer. Refraining altogether from a certain social media platform could free up time for more productive activities, though it would be important to identify what these ‘activities’ will be. One of the best ways to change an undesired behaviour is to reinforce a desired replacement behavior. However, decreasing our screentime could lead to us replacing it with something as bad. 

A complete fast can also provide space to reflect on our behavior and better appreciate ‘healthy’ functions. However, how many of us carry healthier eating habits into the post-Ramadan months? Enduring behavioral change is not usually a given. Instead of an all-encompassing fasting, using the month to nurture healthier approaches to tech might lead to more enduring change, rather than a feast-fast (during Ramadan)-feast (post-Ramadan) cycle.

From sparking autophagy (the process by which cells renew themselves) to improving self-control, the holy month is rejuvenating in critical and material ways. Discussions about whether anything can be Divinely ordained and not reap material benefits are worthwhile. There will likely be a multitude of secondary benefits to Divine Commandments though these might not always be apparent. Scientific findings, including those relating to the psychology of self-control, are always contestable with discussions and evidence ongoing. What is not contested is that Allah Loves that we fast, and He Will benefit us in ways we cannot conceive:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "(Allah said), 'Every good deed of Adam's son is for him except fasting; it is for Me. and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.'

Research indicates that setting boundaries for our usage can aid our attempts to regulate something designed to be addictive. Freeing up some of our time, cognitive and emotional space, and energy could allow us to be more engaged with our Lord during the sacred month, and might lead us to carrying healthier engagements with technology beyond Ramadan.

Tamim Mobayed is a Research Associate at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Islamic Studies.