Putting your smartphone on the table next to you is probably the most normal thing ever. But it shouldn’t! This is indicated by the results of an American study.
We prefer to always have our smartphones by our side. But that has an enormous influence on our brain performance, as scientists led by Adrian F. Ward at the University of Texas found in a study. A study observed a total of around 800 subjects in two experiments to find out how specifically the position of the smartphone can affect our brain performance. One group put their phones on the table, another put their phones in their pockets, and another group had their phones in another room. A test examines the participants’ cognitive abilities to find out whether the position of the smartphone has any effect on the brain.
It is best to store your smartphone in another room
The results were astounding, as they suggest that the mere presence of the cell phone leads to a reduction in available cognitive power and impaired brain performance. And this despite the fact that the people tested knew that they should actually devote their full attention to the test.
The subjects who stored their cell phones in another room completed the test best. For the participants who put the cell phone on the table, it didn’t matter whether the smartphone was switched on or off. The position of the display also played no role. Even if the human was not using the cell phone, the mere presence of the device was enough. Influencing attention and thereby reducing cognitive performance.
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The mere presence of the cell phone leads to less concentration
“We see a linear trend suggesting that as smartphone visibility increases, participants’ available cognitive capacity decreases,” Ward said in a statement. “You’re not consciously thinking about your phone, but that act — the act of not thinking — uses some of your limited cognitive resources,” Ward continues. Brain power is massively limited when we have our cell phones nearby. But it was not because people received notifications on their cell phones that they were distracted. “The mere presence of her smartphone was enough to their reduce cognitive abilities,” explains Ward.
Daniel Oppenheimer, a professor of psychology at the University of California, has already researched this altered ability to concentrate for other objects. “We know that cell phones are very desirable and that many people are addicted to their cell phones. IWith that in mind, it’s not so surprising that having a cell phone in sight nearby would be a drain on mental resources. But this study is the first to actually demonstrate this effect. A“With the proliferation of cell phones in modern society, that has important implications,” Oppenheimer told The Atlantic.
Perhaps you think of the study when you want to put your cell phone on the table for an important task. If your mobile phone is not within reach, you will definitely get the task done much faster. You can then pursue your desire again and first check the notifications on your smartphone.