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Is too much information a bad thing? When it comes to anxiety<\/a>, the flood of information that we can now get from technology is problematic. In fact, one study found a significant increase in anxiety disorders when comparing anxiety prevalence rates during the period of 2007-2009 to that of 2019-2022 (Gkitakou et al., 2025).<\/p>\n Although there are many factors that could contribute to this increase in anxiety disorders, keep in mind that the iPhone was released in 2007, and it took a couple of years for smartphones to become ubiquitous.<\/p>\n Some of the more obvious reasons for an increase in anxiety include the often upsetting news alerts that pop up on our phones when we least expect them, and the way social media<\/a> has been detrimental to our health, especially that of teenage girls<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another angle that I see as particularly problematic and directly relating to our increases in anxiety is that technology has eroded our ability to tolerate uncertainty. Intolerance of uncertainty is often seen as a hallmark characteristic of most, if not all, of the anxiety disorders.<\/p>\n Here are some examples of people who struggle with uncertainty and how they rely on technology:<\/p>\n Before we had this level of access, thanks to technology, we often would have to sit with our anxious feelings when something uncertain arose. People would still feel anxious and maybe would engage in other unhelpful behaviors to reduce this uncertainty. However, it wasn\u2019t as easy as it is today.<\/p>\n One of the keys to overcoming anxiety is allowing it to be there, not seeking reassurance from an external source, and learning that it will decrease naturally. The more someone can do that, the better off they will be in the long run.<\/p>\n For example, the gold standard of treatment for obsessive-compulsive<\/a> disorder is called exposure and response prevention. Let\u2019s say that someone has obsessions about germs or dirt. As part of the treatment, they might do something to \u201ccontaminate\u201d themselves, such as touching a doorknob or the bottom of their shoe and then resist performing the compulsion (washing their hands). Although very anxiety-producing, through multiple practices, they learn that there is nothing to fear<\/a>, and their anxiety becomes more manageable and decreases over time.<\/p>\n On the other hand, a person with health anxiety who consults ChatGPT multiple times a day about health symptoms does not learn how to cope with the uncertainty of not knowing something. Their anxiety might come down when they check something with AI, but as soon as anxiety returns, they will go back to this same behavior, keeping them in the anxiety and reassurance cycle. In fact, many people will describe their reliance on tech like an addiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are a few steps to reduce your reliance on tech and help manage your anxiety in the long term.<\/p>\n Step 1. Assess your technology use, as it relates to anxiety.<\/strong> For the next week, make a list of when you use tech to quell anxiety or reduce your discomfort with uncertainty.<\/p>\n Step 2. Examine the items on the list.<\/strong> Are there any areas where you could reduce your tech use? It\u2019s often easiest to start resisting with something that causes low to moderate anxiety.<\/p>\nTechnology and Intolerance of Uncertainty<\/h2>\n
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Back in the Old Days<\/h2>\n
Resisting Reassurance vs. Giving Into It<\/h2>\n
Breaking Your Reliance on Tech<\/h2>\n