Smart mobile phones have become such essential devices in our daily lives that many of us feel great anxiety when we separate from them or, for only ten seconds, we cannot find them.However, recent studies have determined that having our smartphone near has a negative effect on our brain performance .Find out why.
Keep a certain distance: Having your smartphone nearby could be bad for you
The cognitive ability of our brain is significantly reduced when a smartphone is within reach, even if it is turned off, according to what was concluded during a new study by the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, in Austin.
McCombs associate professor Adrian Ward and his co-authors conducted experiments with nearly 800 smartphone users in an attempt to measure, for the first time, how well people can comp read tasks when they have their smartphones nearby even when they don't use them.
In one experiment, the researchers asked the study participants to sit on a computer and take a series of tests that required full concentration to to obtain good results.The tests were aimed at measuring the cognitive capacity available to participants , that is, the brain's ability to store and process data at a given time.Before starting, it was ordered to Random form for participants to place their smartphones on the desk face down, in their pocket or personal bag or leave them in another room.What if all participants were required is to place their phones in silent mode.
The participants who had their s phones in another room significantly outperformed those with their phones on the desk , and also slightly surpassed the participants who had kept their phones in a pocket or purse.
This means that the mere presence of a smartphone reduces the available cognitive capacity and impairs cognitive functioning , even though people feel that they are putting all their attention and concentration on the task they are holding.
According to Ward, there is a linear trend that suggests that as the smartphone becomes more visible, the available cognitive capacity of participants decreases.
In another experiment, researchers analyzed the dependence on a smartphone of a a person -or how strongly people feel they need to have a smartphone to overcome a typical day-.Once the researchers had this data, the participants performed the same series of computer-based tests as the first group And they were randomly ordered to keep their smartphones in sight at the desk with their faces up, in a pocket or bag, or in another room.In this experiment, some participants were also asked to turn off their phones.
Participants who were more dependent on their smartphones performed worse compared to less dependent individuals, but only when they kept their smartphones on the desk or in their pocket or purse.
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