Your smartphone is killing your ability to focus at
work
The cognitive cost
of smartphones is higher for people who have a heavy dependence on their
handsets
You read it right. Your phone is probably hurting
your ability to focus at work, according to new research. A recent study
published in the journal The Consumer in a Connected World, and
described in The Harvard Business Review, concluded that having
your phone nearby — even if it’s not buzzing or ringing, and even if the power
is off — can hurt your performance.
The creepiest part is that you may not even realise
just how distracting your phone can be. For the study, the researchers asked
hundreds of people to work on two different cognitive tasks. Sometimes people
were asked to leave their phones on the desk; sometimes in their pocket or bag;
sometimes in another room. In all cases, sounds and vibrations were turned off.
Interestingly, when the researchers asked
participants whether the location of their phone had affected their performance,
most said it hadn’t. That suggests the phones are influencing our behaviour in
ways we might not even be consciously aware of.
The researchers found that certain people were more
susceptible to their phone’s negative influence. Participants who agreed with
statements like, ‘I would have trouble getting through a normal day without my
cellphone’ were strongly affected. Bottom line: Consider planning to keep your
phone in another room while you are working. You can also consider designating
some phone-free time blocks to improve your concentration.
The research builds on a similar study, published
2015 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance. That study found hearing your phone buzz, even if you don’t
interact with it, can hurt your performance on cognitive tasks.
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