Latest News

Your smartphone is making you stupid and this study is proof!
Thursday, August 22, 2019 IST
Your smartphone is making you stupid and this study is proof!

We check our smartphones every waking minute. But did you know that your dalliance with this gadget can seriously impact your problem-solving ability?
 

 
 

Imagine this: you’re busy at work, writing one e-mail after another, when you decide that enough is enough and take a break from the task at hand. You can use this time to get catch-up with that colleague or walk yourself to the pantry for a hot cup of coffee. Instead, you whip out your phone and scroll through Instagram or play a game.
 
Our whole lives revolve around our smartphones. In fact, the first thing we do when we wake up is check our phones. Facebook FTW, after all! But everything in life comes at a price. And turns out that your dalliance with the gadget can cost you your mental ability—especially at work.
 
In an interesting experiment, the findings of which have been published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, over four hundred college undergraduates were asked to solve challenging sets of word puzzles.
 
Halfway through the task, some participants were allowed to take breaks using their cell phones, while others took breaks using paper or a computer. Some took no break at all.
 
The researchers, from Rutgers University in the US, found that the participants who took phone breaks experienced the highest levels of mental depletion and were among the least capable of solving the puzzles afterwards.
 
Their post-break efficiency and quickness was comparable to those who took no breaks at all.
 
Their number of word problems solved after the break was slightly better than those who took no break, but worse than all other participants.
 
Participants who took a break on their cell phones took 19% longer to do the rest of the task, and solved 22% fewer problems than those in the other break conditions combined.
 
 

 
 

“The act of reaching for your phone between tasks, or mid-task, is becoming more commonplace” said Terri Kurtzberg, an associate professor at Rutgers Business School.
 
“It is important to know the costs associated with reaching for this device during every spare minute. We assume it’s no different from any other break—but the phone may carry increasing levels of distraction that make it difficult to return focused attention to work tasks,” said Kurtzberg.
 
“Cell phones may have this affect because even just seeing your phone activates thoughts of checking messages, connecting with people, access to ever-refilling information and more, in ways that are different than how we use other screens like computers, and laptops,” she said.
 
We’re sure this is not the first study to point the obvious impact of mobile phones on your cognitive abilities and it won’t be the last. But we seriously do hope that you’ll put your smartphone down now and get back to work.

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
Tata Harrier’s 7-seater Version H7X Will Be Quite Different – Report

Tata Harrier’s three-row seat version in works, details out  

Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
 

 Article
How to make you car as silent as a Rolls Royce inside

Rolls Royce cars are extremely luxurious. While there are many expensive pieces of equipment in Rolls Royce cars, their most relaxing feature is the silence that ...

Recently posted . 2K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
India's Top 5 Mobile Charger manufacturer Brand 2019

The following list of India's Top 5 Mobile Charger manufacture Brand 2019  

Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
 

 Article
Mahindra XUV300 vs Maruti Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon – Price

XUV300 is the latest entrant in the compact SUV segment.

Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
 

 
 

More in Electronics & Gadgets

 Article
Pineapple juice, semen speed and alpha whales:12 insane realities about sex

“We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his hands for masturbation.” ― Lily Tomlin, American performer, and comedian...

Recently posted. 1K views . 18 min read
 

 Article
How much fruit and vegetables should you & I eat?

A current report has recommended that we ought to fundamentally expand the measure of foods grown from the ground we eat from five a day to no less than seven. Trut...

Recently posted. 1K views . 36 min read
 

 Article
Do you know what these Hindi spices are called in English?

Get to know the English name of some of the most commonly used Indian spices.  

Recently posted. 758 views . 0 min read
 

 Reviews
17 Ultimate Dhabas In Delhi: EatTreat Bucket List



Recently posted . 1K views . 221 min read
 

 Reviews
Best Air Conditioners Online in India | 2018



Recently posted . 1K views . 480 min read
 

 Article
5 Best Protein Recipes | Easy Protein Recipes

Best Protein Recipes: If you are reading this, you must be aware how important protein is for our body. Protein is a macro-nutrient that our body...

Recently posted. 1K views . 3 min read
 

 Article
Include These Superb Proteins In Your Diet For Weight Loss: No, It's Not Chicken Or Eggs!

Whenever we talk about proteins, the common protein-rich foods that come to our mind is eggs and chicken. Let us discover some other good quality sources of protein...

Recently posted. 802 views . 1 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.
Anonymous

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top