From “Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community” by Katherine M. Douglas and Brittany M. Tausen
While there are many different types of overload (social overload, information overload, choice overload, technology-based overload, etc.), the underlying principles are the same. With every person, piece of information, or choice that you encounter, there is an increased demand on your brain to sort through all the information and determine what is and what is not relevant and how you should respond.
According to cognitive lead theory, people eventually hit a threshold where they need to reduce stimulation to conserve mental effort. Whether consciously or not, one common strategy is to disengage with whatever is taxing your mental space. For example, social overload is cited as a reason why people discontinue social media usage. Choice overload (having too many options) often results in indecision or ignoring the choice altogether. If you have ever felt completely overwhelmed by the absurd variety of pasta sauces at the grocery store, television shows available at the click of a button, or news about candidates before an election and have ultimately disengaged – failing to select a sauce, a show, or senator – you are well acquainted with the consequences of overload.
In terms of happiness and satisfaction, less is more. This is, in part, because fewer options create less work for the brain. Having fewer choices to start with also minimizes potential regret over choices you did not make – whether it is something as simple as wishing you would have opted for original rather than rolling the dice with the garlic forward sauce or as complicated as choosing the political candidate that best aligns with your values.
In environments that are especially dense, becoming overloaded might result in tuning out the people around you in subtle (e.g., missing a request for help) or more obvious ways (e.g., walking around listening to music). While you may not always be able to choose the type of environment you live in (urban or rural), you can think more carefully about how you curate your own environment to reduce stimulation and fight your own tendencies to escape at the expense of being neighborly.
In a technologically driven environment, many people have more information at the tip of their fingers than can be contained in any actual environment, amplifying the potential for overload. Countless studies have documented the negative impacts of technology on relationships, and a massive global study conducted by Sapien Labs recently documented a strong link between mental health and the age someone received their first cell phone (yes, on average, the longer you wait the better). A suggestion to spend less time on your phone to be a better neighbor to those around you is thus unlikely to feel revolutionary. But it might serve you well to pay more attention to your unique threshold.