What has to do Amy Blankson’s talk at TEDx with President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation of a 10-day social media fast that he announced at the October 2018 general conference address ?
President Nelson said:
“The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you … What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted—even just a little? I urge you to record and follow through with each impression.
It’s easy to get stuck thinking that the challenges of the digital era are so big that there’s nothing we can do about them, but Amy Blankson confronts the “tech-victim” mentality and teaches listeners how to react to the “attention merchants” in positive ways to reclaim their “attention freedom”.
Amy Blankson is the author of the bestselling book The Future of Happiness, and she is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but in her TEDx Talk given at BYU on May 4 she revealed the findings of the survey she issued to the women of the Church, asking what effect their social-media-free days had on them, after they received the invitation from President Russell M. Nelson.
These are the final results, based on 2000 responses.
- 82% of women did not want to participate in the fast and only did so to follow the prophet or to alleviate guilt.
- 60% felt more productive
- 55% were more present with friends and family
- 45% reported an increased focus
41% reported being more at peace
41% were happier - 40% reported better sleep
- 13% reported less back/ neck pain
- 14% exercised more
Interestingly, most women didn’t really want to participate, but they did it anyway. However, many of them reported great benefits. Often to listen the Prophet doesn’t come naturally, but it is always a blessing to actually trust him a follow his teachings.
Watch Blankson’s full TEDx Talk about the results from her survey about the 10-day Social Media Fast.
