Smartphones can be a wonderful tool. But if you’re trying to focus or solve problems, having one nearby—even if it’s silenced or turned off—can be detrimental, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin; the University of California, San Diego; and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
In one study, participants were asked to complete math problems while memorizing random letters, which tested their ability to keep track of information while working on a complicated task. In a second study, participants were asked to complete patterns with a set of images, which tested reasoning and problem solving. In each study, the nearly 800 participants were asked to silence or turn off their phones. One group placed their phones face down in front of them. Another group stored the phones in a pocket or bag. Yet another group kept their phones in another room, according to a March 20 article in the Harvard Business Review.
Those whose phones were in another room performed best on the tests. Those who stored them in their pockets did moderately better than the worst performing group—those who left the phones in front of them.
“Merely having smartphones out on the desk led to a small but statistically significant impairment of individuals’ cognitive capacity—on par with the effects of lacking sleep,” researchers wrote.
Participants’ attachment level to the smartphone also made a difference in how well they performed the tasks. Those who said, “I would have trouble getting through a normal day without my cellphone,” did worse than others when the phone was in front of them.
So, why does having the phone visible make such a difference?
“Humans learn to automatically pay attention to things that are habitually relevant to them, even when they are focused on a different task,” the researchers explained. An example would be hearing your name across the room even when you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone else. “In a way, the mere presence of our smartphones is like the sound of our names—they are constantly calling to us, exerting a gravitational pull on our attention. Attempts to block or resist this pull takes a toll by impairing our cognitive abilities,” the researchers said.
When you need to focus, it might be a smart idea to have some alone time—away from your phone.
