• Distractions can be used to control our urges and impulses: certain games like Tetris can help reduce cravings for fatty foods and even addictive drugs.
• Distractions can help us stay fit: taking our minds off the pain of physical exercise, with music or television, can improve performance and endurance.
• Digital distractions and personal technology can also help us develop our ability to take on challenges in the future and build up our courage.

Whether personal technology distractions are a force for good depends on why and how we use them.

Identifying why and how you engage with personal technology may be the difference between healthy and destructive behavior: Do you play to escape your real life, or do yo...