Phone use linked to wellbeing

COMPULSIVELY reaching for a smartphone to relax, escape or pass the time can lead to a drop in psychological wellbeing and a rise in negative emotions, a new Victorian study has found.

World-first research into the impact of problem smartphone usage has also found habitual users hanging up on other aspects of their life, including their partners, friends and work.

Results of the Deakin University study have prompted researchers to call for those experiencing a loss of control over their phone usage to switch off non-essential notifications, ensure they have real life daily interactions with people and to set phone-free periods and usage time limits into their days.

After examining the psychological impacts of smartphone use on more than 500 Victorian university students lead researcher Dr Sharon Horwood said there were strong links between low levels of wellbeing and relying the devices to relax, escape and pass time.

“We certainly found that those people who use their smart phone too much or in a problematic way have a lot more negative emotions than positive,” Dr Horwood said.

The Deakin researchers found a constant stream of news and entertainment, which is not necessarily positive, may lead to “techno exhaustion”. Data was published in the Computers in Human Behaviour journal.