How do I get fewer notifications on my iPhone?

Each notification triggers a cortisol response in your body—the same stress hormone released during fight-or-flight situations. Research shows the average smartphone user receives 46 push notifications per day, each one fragmenting attention and requiring mental energy to process—even if ignored.

With this in mind, whenever a notification arrives, assess whether this specific notification is useful or distracting.

If the notification is not essential, turn it off in the notification settings. Keep only truly urgent ones, like calls from family. For apps you need but don’t need instant alerts from, switch to manual checking on your own schedule.

Proceed like this for a couple of days, and you’ll see that this simple change can already dramatically reduce daily stress and improve your ability to focus.