Ever wonder if doom scrolling on your smartphone before racing has an effect on how fast you swim?
A simple little study (Fortes et al., 2021) looked at exactly that, examining how 30 minutes of social media use before racing impacted performance in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle.
Twenty-five national and international-level swimmers performed time trials of each event under two conditions:
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Watched 30 minutes of Olympic Games videos on a big screen
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Scrolled social media for 30 minutes (Instagram, Facebook) on their smartphones
They also completed jump and recovery tests to see if any of the effects were mental or physical.
Here’s what went down:
➡️ Smartphone use significantly increased feelings of fatigue
➡️ There was no difference in 50 free performance
➡️ 100 and 200 freestyle performance declined by ~2% after smartphone use, with the drop-off happening in the second 50 of both races.
➡️ Jump performance and recovery were unchanged, reinforcing that the slowdown came from the brain, not the body
The endless stream of content demands continuous attention and self-control, resources that wear out under constant stimulation, leaving you mentally fried before you get up on the block.
So:
✅ Avoid prolonged smartphone use in the 30-60 minutes before racing
✅ Mental fatigue affects longer races more, where things like pacing, coordination, and focus under discomfort matter most.
✅ In the 50, you can pretty much turn your brain off and let it rip.
Your brain is a huge part of your performance engine.
Just like you wouldn’t hit the gym for a heavy lift 20 minutes before a race, protect your noggin from unnecessary fatigue before race.
The scrolling can wait.
For now, get those PBs.
See you in the water
