Analog Tech & Hobbies Are More Than Just Comforting — They’re *Good* For You
You thought you were cool with your crocheting, but you’re also fixing your brain a bit.
Records instead of Spotify. Film cameras and photo books instead of digital picture books. Walks instead of doom-scrolling. It sounds silly to call them “analog” hobbies instead of just hobbies, but in such a digital age, it sometimes needs that qualifier — and it’s becoming quite the trend.
From those who just want to recreate the cozy vibes of their childhood with more analog items, like actual camcorders instead of their phone screens, to those who are overwhelmed by all of the digital options and choices and want to go more streamlined with the basics, analog tech and hobbies are becoming more and more the norm. And while some things we wish still existed — like iPods for our kids — aren’t really a technology that exists anymore, there are plenty of ways for us to tap into analog hobbies and items for whatever we need.
And as cozy as the vibes are, analog tech and hobbies might just be better for our well-being, too.
It makes sense, right? Every day, we’re told how shitty our attention spans are because of our phones. We can’t get through 90-minute movies anymore without a quick scroll. We can’t just sit down and read a book off our shelf. We have decision fatigue trying to pick a recipe to cook instead of just looking in a cookbook. So turning to more analog things for the betterment of our bodies and minds makes total sense.
Stella Kimbrough, psychotherapist and owner of Calm Pathway, agrees with me.
“Having more physical media in our lives helps us to slow down and be in control of our media consumption in a way that modern technology doesn't afford. Smartphones are designed to be highly addictive and stimulating — they want us coming back for more, which isn't always in our best interests. Physical media doesn't hold as much power over us,” she says. And all of that stimulation can also lead us into that terrible “instant gratification” cycle, where we’re constantly hitting next on another episode or looking for a new show simply because it’s there and we can. Getting up to put a physical DVD into the DVD player? That’s far more intentional consumption.
“I think incorporating analog activities is a great way to retrain our brains away from focusing on instant gratification. When we live more mindfully, we feel better and less controlled by our immediate impulses,” Kimbrough adds.
She brings up analog hobbies like crocheting or painting, and mentions how not only are these calmer and softer activities (and don’t have the digital distraction that digital crafting from our phones often does), but they also have the added bonus for your brain of giving you a reward that you really had to work for. Like a scarf you finished or a painting you now get to hang up. There’s something physical to hold and see at the end, and that delayed gratification can really give you a dopamine boost.
Kimbrough says we should think of analog tech and hobbies as being similar to a “‘dopamine detox,’ where you limit high-reward, high-dopamine-releasing activities in order to reset your brain.” She says that because analog hobbies don’t often offer the immediate gratification that technology does, our brain releases less dopamine, leading to fewer highs and lows in our day-to-day mood. “Going analog will, over time, make us feel less anxious and depressed once we shake the initial withdrawals caused by the dopamine detox. Call it a ‘digital detox.’”
It doesn’t mean you have to get rid of technology forever — I’m never going back to using CDs in the car or a Walkman on my runs — but incorporating analog hobbies and tech into your routine can help you feel a little more balanced. (And retro.)
