October 19, 2026, 2:31 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Open Instagram, check messages, quickly scroll through TikTok–and suddenly, much more time has passed than planned. If you want to put your smartphone down and suffer from phone addiction, try this simple setting: Neuroscientist Dr. Sahar Yousef from the University of California, Berkeley, recommends switching the display to grayscale.
Grayscale Can Help Combat Phone Addiction
The idea behind it initially sounds unusual. Yousef explains her thesis in the podcast “Diary of a CEO” and warns: Apps deliberately use colors and visual stimuli. Without these, looking at the display is less stimulating. She refers to this as “reverse neuroscience” as a solution. Instead of increasing stimulation, it should be consciously reduced. This way, the smartphone is less likely to tempt users to constantly switch between apps.
Easily Activate Grayscale
On an iPhone, the path is through “Settings,” “Accessibility,” “Display & Text Size,” and “Color Filters.” Android also offers color correction through accessibility. Depending on the manufacturer and Android version, the names may vary.
For example, on a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with Android 16, the path looks like this: “Settings,” “Accessibility,” “Visibility Enhancements,” turn on “Color Correction,” and select “Grayscale” at the bottom.
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Additionally, users can reduce notifications and use screen time and focus modes. This further limits smartphone distractions and helps combat phone addiction.