Losing Your Smartphone Makes You Stupid

Separation anxiety from your smartphone may actually hinder your cognitive abilities, according to a newly released study from the University of Missouri.

photo credit: OndraSoukup via photopin cc

In real estate you may often be tethered to your smartphone to stay connected to your business. But when your phone is not at your fingertips, how do you feel? Do you get nervous or have anxiety from being apart?

If so, researchers say this study’s findings may apply to you.

Researchers studied how iPhone users performed when solving puzzles. They found that iPhone users performed better on the puzzles when they had their phones. When their phone was away from them, they tended to perform worse on tasks.

“Our findings suggest that iPhone separation can negatively impact performance on mental tasks,” says Russell Clayton, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. The study, The Extended iSelf: The Impact of iPhone Separation on Cognition, Emotion, and Physiology, appears in the January issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

Researchers say that iPhone users may want to avoid separating from their phone during situations that require focus.

“Additionally, the results from our study suggest that iPhones are capable of becoming an extension of our selves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of ‘self’ and a negative physiological state,” Clayton notes.

For example, when a phone rang and a study participant was not able to answer it right away, researchers found the person’s heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety levels rose.