Stolen Smiles and Hijacked Minds: Travel, Technology & the Eyes-Down Era

Stolen Smiles and Hijacked Minds: Travel, Technology & the Eyes-Down Era

There was a time when cafés were full of conversation,  spontaneous eye contact with strangers, laughter bubbling up between sips of coffee, and moments of shared presence between people simply being together. Now, as I travel the world, from the grey streets of London to sun-warmed courtyards in Southern Europe,  I notice something eerie.

People still sit together. But the spark is gone.

Heads down. Eyes glued to small glowing rectangles. Couples, families, friends, sitting side by side in total silence. No smiles. No spark. Just scrolling.

In the digital age, we’ve all become connected, yet deeply disconnected. We’ve been told the phone helps us “stay in touch,” “work remotely,” “capture memories.” But as a long-time traveller and someone deeply attuned to human behaviour, I can’t help but notice what it has actually stolen: our presence, our posture, and our joy.

The Psychology of Eye Position & Mood

There’s a fascinating and sobering connection between where we direct our eyes and how we feel.

Research in cognitive neuroscience has shown that eye position influences emotional and cognitive processing. When we look down, especially with a forward-head posture (hello, phone use), our body assumes a position associated with sadness, defeat, or avoidance. Our brain registers this position, and the corresponding neurochemical state follows. It’s the mind-body feedback loop in action.

In contrast, when we lift our gaze to meet someone’s eyes, to take in a distant view, to scan the horizon — our posture opens. Our breathing deepens. Our dopamine and serotonin pathways (linked to pleasure, anticipation, and connection) become more active. Evolutionarily, scanning the horizon was a sign of safety, curiosity, and possibility, not a signal of danger or withdrawal.

So quite literally: eyes down, mood down. Eyes up, mood up.

Posture, Presence & The Cost of Constant Stimulation

Psychologist Amy Cuddy’s now-famous research on body posture and confidence showed how the way we hold ourselves affects how we think, feel, and even perform. The “smartphone hunch”  rounded shoulders, collapsed chest, neck craned forward is biomechanically identical to the posture of someone experiencing low self-esteem or depression.

We now see this posture in children as young as three. We see it in every waiting room, every subway, every café. And in many cases, we mistake it for relaxation,  but it’s anything but.

This physical state of “collapse” makes it harder to breathe fully, harder to feel confident, harder to be alert to the world around us. In short, we shrink, physically and emotionally.

What was once marketed as a tool for connection has become a machine of distraction,  slowly hijacking our ability to be here.

Travel as a Practice of Presence… If We Let It Be

Travel used to mean stepping out of routine, discovering the unfamiliar, meeting new people. But increasingly, travellers carry their world with them in their phones:  playlists from home, WhatsApp from back home, work emails, Google Maps, and Instagram reels.

Instead of looking up at a new sky or turning to a stranger for directions, we scroll. We swipe. We silently compete for the best photo while missing the moment entirely.

We’ve traded serendipity for certainty, and in doing so, we’ve dulled the edges of wonder.

The Great Irony: Alone Together

MIT professor Sherry Turkle coined the phrase “alone together” to describe how technology has redefined connection. We’re always available but rarely present. We’ve gained convenience but lost conversation.

And perhaps the saddest part? Many people don’t even notice anymore. It’s just “how it is.”

But it doesn't have to be.

So, What Can We Do?

• Look up. Literally. Train your eyes to meet the horizon again. Seek views that inspire you.

• Talk to strangers. Even if it’s awkward. Even if it’s brief. Connection lives in the attempt.

• Leave your phone behind. Just for a walk. Or a coffee. Or a moment.

• Notice your posture. When you catch yourself hunched, open your shoulders, breathe deeper, feel the shift.

• Reclaim your attention. Attention is presence. And presence is where all joy begins.

The next time you sit in a café, try this: keep your phone in your bag. Look around. Make eye contact. Smile. You might just feel something return to you: something long-forgotten but instantly familiar.

That flicker of aliveness? That’s you. Not your phone.