7 science-backed things to do on your phone for better brain health

Here are some ways to spend time on your phone that may give you more positive experiences.

Author of the article:

Washington Post

Richard Sima

Published Aug 26, 2026  •  5 minute read

Photo by Getty Images

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Your smartphone can make your life better – if you’re smart about it.

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The technology – and the time we spend on it – isn’t inherently good or bad. But “it can certainly worsen your mood, even among healthy people, depending on what you’re using it for,” said Jon Elhai, a distinguished university professor at the University of Toledo in Ohio who studies cyberpsychology.

Most adults under 45 say they want to spend less time looking at screens, according to a 2025 YouGov poll. And many popular apps, such as TikTok, are designed to hold your attention longer than you would like. A lot of that time spent might not be all that pleasurable in the end.

If you want to create a healthier smartphone habit, “you have to know yourself,” said Joseph Bayer, an associate professor in the School of Communication at Ohio State University who studies smartphone and social media habits. “You have to know what are your goals as a person and in terms of using your phone,” and whether they align.

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There are many approaches to reduce the time you spend on your phone, but another strategy is to change how you use it. Here are some ways to spend time on your phone that may give you more positive experiences.

Cognitive engagement is good for your brain, and fast-paced action video games – such as “Call of Duty” and “Fortnite” – have been found to boost cognition. Research has also linked games such as crosswords and board games to cognitive benefits. Smartphone apps have made these games easy to pick up anywhere you have your phone and service.

“I like board games, and some board games also have mobile versions,” said Bayer, who enjoys playing the bird-themed game Wingspan on his phone. The app allows you to take turns asynchronously, meaning you can play during spare moments; Bayer’s friend, who is a therapist, likes to take her turns between patients.

“Playing an online board game for a minute makes you feel a little boost of energy in between work tasks,” Bayer said.

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Other popular board games converted from tabletop to phone include Catan, Codenames, Ticket to Ride, Ark Nova and Terraforming Mars.

Curling up with a good book – or magazine or newspaper – is good for your brain, and it has been linked to increased longevity and slower rates of cognitive decline.

The Libby or Hoopla apps – both of which are free – give you ready access to read or listen to all the e-books, audiobooks and magazines from your local library. You can also try different e-reading apps to make it easy for you to bring your latest novel with you on your commute.

Smartphones can link you to all the knowledge and community about your hobbies outside of work. Research has found that hobbies are linked to better mental health and that pursuing creative hobbies, including music, dance and art, is linked to delayed brain aging.

Reddit can be a great resource because “you can find a subreddit [community] for any hobby you have,” said Elhai, who finds Reddit “helpful in terms of gaining more information about different hobbies.”

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Research has found that mindfulness exercises can be as effective as anxiety medication in reducing anxious feelings and that even short bouts of meditation can help people achieve “relaxed alertness.” Popular apps include Headspace and Calm.

Plus, mindfulness can help you reach other health goals, potentially including a better relationship with your smartphone. Research finds that having more mindful awareness is linked to healthier uses of the smartphone.

People who are more in tune with how they use their smartphone – and when to put it down – are more protected from problematic use “than people who just mindlessly, instead of mindfully, keep scrolling on their phone,” Elhai said.

Learning another language is a great way to stimulate your brain; research has found that being multilingual is linked to delayed dementia diagnoses and that the brains of people who spoke two or three languages looked six years younger compared with those who spoke only one.

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Smartphones allow you to take your language lessons on the go.

“It’s not like you can spend all the time in person talking to people in that target language,” but if you have time on your phone, that can be beneficial, said Elhai, who uses Pimsleur for language learning and Italki to practice with native speakers.

Giving thanks for the good in your life is good for you, and research shows that having more gratitude is linked to less loneliness.

Instead of scrolling through your social media feed, you can consider “apps that have been designed for you to journal and to indicate what you’re grateful for every day to try to help keep an optimistic mood,” Elhai said.

Some example apps include Three Good Things and Gratitude. But even just opening up your default note-taking app can be a place to jot down your thoughts, feelings and remembrances about your day.

We tend to be happiest when we’re with other people in person, and research finds that doing almost anything is better with friends.

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But socializing with another person through our phone – through texting, social media or even good old-fashioned calling – may be the next best thing. Connecting with others – the original goal of phones – may be the most rewarding use of smartphones.

“When people are just using their phones in nonsocial ways, like they’re just listening to music, they’re watching movies, maybe in the short term, it’s pleasurable,” Elhai said. “But it’s not as pleasurable as engaging in social use.”

Research shows people tend to underestimate how rewarding reaching out to others can be, for both parties, even out of the blue. Being on your phone is an opportunity to reconnect with someone. A few minutes might be enough to send a “thinking of you” or start setting up plans to meet up or share a funny meme.

Do you have a question about human behaviour or neuroscience? Email [email protected] and we may answer it in a future column.

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