The estimated reading time for this post is 6 minutes
If you think of your iPhone as giving you superpowers, maybe you’re right. Or maybe the reverse is true: being without your iPhone drains you, like Superman being near kryptonite.
A study published last week by Russell B. Clayton, Glenn Leshner, and Anthony Almond, researchers at The University of Missouri, examined whether being separated from an iPhone had negative effects on people. The researchers looked at both the physical effects on the body and the ability to complete cognitive tasks when participants were separated from their iPhones. Any guesses as to the findings?
In a study titled, The Extended iSelf: The Impact of iPhone Separation on Cognition, Emotion, and Physiology published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, researchers told participants that the study involved the testing of a wireless blood pressure cuff. Instead, the study actually measured the effects of being separated from an iPhone on both the physical and the cognitive skills of the participants. The intent of the study was to examine “the effects on self, cognition, anxiety, and physiology when iPhone users are unable to answer their iPhone while performing cognitive tasks.”
The researchers looked at people’s dependence on smartphones to see whether people began to regard their iPhones as an extension of themselves. “Attachment to one’s cell phone may result from the phone’s capacity to provide information access, social interaction, and personal safety.” Much as carpenters may begin to regard hammers as an extension of themselves, smartphone users may feel a virtual umbilical cord to their phones.
In their report, the researchers discuss how nomophobia and a fear of missing out (“FOMO“) can cause people stress when they are separated from their phones. They predicted that being separated from their smartphones would have a significant effect on study participants.
➪ See, Poll: Do You Suffer from Nomophobia? to learn more about nomophobia.
How the Study Was Conducted
The researchers put a wireless blood pressure cuff on the participants then asked them to complete a word search puzzle. The participants were then told that their iPhones were causing Bluetooth interference with the blood pressure cuffs so their phones needed to be moved away from the cuffs. The iPhones were placed in a nearby cubicle where the participants could see the phones. They were instructed not to leave their seats during the study.
iPhones were chosen because the researchers could easily turn the ringer switch on, to make sure that the participants could hear their phones ringing.
Participants were then given the word search puzzles and were told they had five minutes to find as many US state names as possible. At minute three researchers called the participants’ iPhones so the participants could hear the phones ring but couldn’t answer them. (One participant was disqualified from the study when she left her seat to answer her phone.) At minute four the participants’ blood pressure and heart rate was measured and at minute five the word puzzles were collected.
Researchers also gave the participants a similar word search puzzle to complete while in possession of their iPhones as a control test. This control test was given as the first puzzle for half the group and as the second puzzle for the other half. Participants were given five minutes to complete this task as well but without their iPhones ringing. Blood pressure and heart rate measurements were taken at minute four.
After the test was completed, all participants reported that they were not aware that their reaction to their iPhones was being measured. They were given an opportunity to opt out of the study after learning of its true purpose but none withdrew for that reason.
Results
Researchers measured results based both on quantitative measurements and self-reporting by the participants. Both anxiety levels and cognitive skills were measured. The researchers’ predicted heightened anxiety and diminished cognitive skills of participants being separated from their iPhones. These predictions were confirmed by the study.
Participants reported a lower state of anxiety when they were in possession of their iPhones and a higher state of anxiety when they were separated from their ringing iPhones. Blood pressure and heart rate measurements confirmed the anxious state of the participants when separated from their ringing iPhones.
The ability to complete the word search puzzle was also negatively affected by the participants being unable to answer their ringing iPhones. Participants were able to find significantly fewer words in the puzzles when distracted by their ringing iPhones.
The good news is that participants who were in possession of their iPhones had lowered anxiety and improved cognitive functions. This was true whether the participants were initially separated from their iPhones with the first word search puzzle and reunited with their phones for the second puzzle, or whether they were in possession of their iPhone in the first puzzle and separated from their phones for the second puzzle.
Limitations of the Study
The participants of the study weren’t an average cross-section of the world or even of US citizens. The study group included 40 college students, average age 21.21 years old, who use an iPhone and were mostly female (73%) and white (88%). The participants were heavy users of their iPhones, reporting an average time of 3.5 hours of use per day.
The study also didn’t control for the effect of a ringing phone that wasn’t a cell phone. If a landline phone were ringing in the room, participants still may have experienced stress and distraction from the task. Similarly, the study didn’t measure the effects of the iPhone ringing while in the possession of the participants to determine the effect of separation from the phone.
The researchers acknowledge the limitations of the study and hope that their study inspires further research.
My Thoughts
When I left my iPhone behind in an airport parking lot during a trip to Alaska, I didn’t experience either nomophobia or FOMO. Managing just fine with my iPad and the phones of my family members on the trip, I was able to stay in touch with others and feel connected to the world. Granted, I didn’t have to perform many cognitive tasks on the trip but I don’t think my separation from my iPhone would have affected my cognitive abilities then.
Check out the article describing my experience => Surviving without an iPhone
But that article evoked strong reactions from readers, as evidenced by comments and the results of the poll in that article. Many readers said they would not have boarded a plane without their phones.
My laptop computer (a/k/a The Beast) crashed earlier this week and is in the process of being repaired. I’m writing this article on a borrowed desktop computer and have to confess the words aren’t flowing as easily as usual. Perhaps being separated from my laptop is affecting my cognitive abilities? Is The Beast my hammer?
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the study? Do you experience smartphone separation anxiety? Does a ringing phone distract you? Does having your phone in your possession make you smarter and healthier? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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*Singapore City Skyline (edited) courtesy of Choo Yut Shing via Flickr and Creative Commons
** Nomophobia image courtesy of Marianne Masculino via Flickr and Creative Commons
Hi Carolyn,
That was an amazing study indeed 🙂
Lol…not at all – I don’t think I fit into any of this, as you already know my views regarding a smartphone! I rarely use one, except for receiving calls from Dad and other close family, as and when they call because I am all the time on my ‘Beast’ (laptop!). I might have the FOMO if the laptop is taken away from me.
However, like your trip to Alaska, if you remember my month long break last summer, I too went off without the Internet – complete cut-off, except for checking in once in a while from someone else’s computer – just the emails. So, no, I am glad I am not addicted at all. But I can understand how some people are, and we’ve to guide our kid’s too, who fall into this very category!
Thanks for sharing this with us, and I hope your laptop is well soon! Have a nice and relaxing weekend 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, I do remember your break, as well as your excellent article on Internet addiction. I thought this study was especially fascinating because it was of college students who probably don’t receive many phone calls. Usually students will use messaging such as WhatsApp, texts, Facebook, Viber, etc. to communicate instead of phone calls.
I would be very interested in seeing a follow up study that measured the stress of being separated from your phone without it ringing. Does having the phone nearby give us such a sense of calm that we are smarter and healthier than if we don’t have it with us? Would that affect our decision to turn around and go back home if we left our phone behind?
Although this study didn’t answer all of our questions, it still gives us much to discuss! Thanks for starting off the discussion, Harleena!
Dear Caroline,
I do not use an iPhone, but and Android phone, though the point of discussion seems to be more in inline with ” Can you live without your smart phone?”
It is frustrating, but the truth is I would be seriously hampered if anything longer than an airline flight, even an international one was involved. In fact I would probably travel with an international SIM card. In India most phones come without being hooked to phone companies. The choice is the users.
I could take that test without being perturbed, I know if the phone was within hearing and nearby that it was accessible. I am hypertensive, a medical man who monitors his blood pressure, so that I am sure.
Having dispensed with all landlines (good old telephones) the entire home is dependant on phones. My wife does not use a smart phone, but try taking away her phone and life could be very difficult. Not advisable.
Returning to yours truly, I really would find life very difficult without my phone, I keep everything on it, address, contacts, my ideas, my word art apps, gmail, twitter, alarms, my notes on ‘keep’ which functions as the base point for everything I copy. I paste it on keep and send to other apps. Whatsapp being the most used app for communication.
I have a morning ‘inspirational group,’ a small group of friends with whom I share special verses and images. Many sent to me and also those I create from my Bible studies the day before. These messages get sent off at 7-730AM, the same time I take my diabetes medication to the alarm on yes – my smart phone.
There is plenty more I can add including my reading and sorting only my gmail on my phone. Only primary mail of course. The others are saved for my computer, as are my YouTube notifications and Yahoo mail for my computer.
I think it is quite apparent by now that it will be difficult for me to live as I do now, without my smart phone. I have gone to the extent of learning to instinctively turn off/on WiFi, data, apps etc to conserve battery power. So having involved my phone into my routines and life style, yes, I can live for a test without it, but anthing longer will be difficult, scary even.
Thank you for the post. My awareness of the need to take care off, and keep another back up phone has only grown stronger.
Nick
Excellent points, Nick. Our smartphones really are so much more than phones to us. They do so many more tasks than just allowing us to make and receive phone calls. But the study researched the effect of a missed phone call. What about a missed alarm? Facebook post? Text message? Photo opportunity?
There are so many other uses for the phone that could cause us stress if we missed out on them. While it would be difficult to study all of these factors, studying the effect of a missed phone call might not give us the greatest stressor of someone who didn’t have their phone with them.
You’re not alone in anticipating a more difficult lifestyle without your phone. We really have become extremely dependent on them and it’s hard to imagine going back to a time without smartphones.
As tech progresses, it’s important to take the time to assess its effect on our lives. I’m glad the researchers were able to publish this study that gives us an insight into how much of an impact a phone can have on our bodies and minds. 10 years ago, no one had a smartphone.
I do wonder what’s ahead for tech. Will we be discussing a study in 5 years that researches how people feel without their smartwatches? If any of the participants had a Pebble watch in this study, they would have been able to see that the call was from an unknown number, perhaps reducing the stress (a wrong number).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Nick!
Quiet interesting guide Caroline, thanks for sharimg. I am a android user not a iphone, just want to know is there any phobia related to android also?
Hi Rahul, The study only used iPhone owners as participants because of the ease of making sure the ringer was on. But I imagine that the results would be very similar for Android owners. Perhaps that will be the subject of a future study!
Hi Carolyn
Very interesting story and never took the issue in that way but your post made me think about it.
Sometime it happens to me I forgot my iphone at home and it was a nightmare for me the whole day when I had to excuse for everything just because I had not my iphone with me.
The people associated with any kind of online work are more dependent on it because now it is almost impossible for me to take notes manually or remember even a single cell number of even my closest friend.
Thanks a lot for sharing this very very interesting post.
Hello Mi, You’re right, it wasn’t your imagination that your day was a nightmare without your phone. This study helps show that being without your phone can have physical and cognitive effects on you, impeding your ability to perform tasks.
Knowing this, we can take steps to make sure we avoid leaving for the day without our phones!
After reading your article i think that iphone made me smarter than before. now i can do lots of work effectively if i think throughly. I think this is my theory about iphone. I never thought about it but after reading it, i feel that flying in the sky like eagle with help of iphone.
Hi Sachin, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m glad your phone empowers you to soar to new heights! I hope you always are able to have your phone with you and never leave it behind.
Thanks for taking the time to join in the conversation, Sachin!
Hi Caroline, Thanks for sharing the case study, Apple is just name of a fever. I am not using iPhone now, i stopped using it When I saw Apple is copying every thing from Samsung, all the Apps related to health specially were first launched by Samsung, Apple is just copying Samsung smartly.
Hi Carolyn,
That’s an interesting study but I don’t think my cell phone makes me smarter and healthier. A few times I left my business smartphone at home and I was lets just say nervous. In effect, I wasn’t able to work normally and had to back home to get it every single time.
Smartphones are an unavoidable part of our lifes that’s for sure, but I don’t like the way it takes our time and the way we rely on it so much. I’ve read recently that a guy made murder and actually asked iPhone where to hide the body.
Thanks Carolyn for sharing this study with us.
~ Dragan
This does not surprise me. I have not used the iPhone I bought 13 months ago because I have the opposite of FOMO..I fear being interrupted. I recently found a use for my expensive phone to use as an audio device for podcasts and my music while I work out. It is ironic because I would not have thought of this if my ancient iPod had not become disabled. I am not subject to Nomophobia because I have never wanted an attachment to the device.
Hi Pamela, Yes, you’re right, if you’re not using your iPhone as a phone, then you have bought a very expensive iPod Touch.
I also use my iPhone for music and podcasts, it’s very handy for that. But if those were the only reasons I used my iPhone, I still would be upset at leaving it behind, but not as upset.
That’s great you don’t have either #FOMO or nomophobia, Pam. You’re much more in control than most of us! 🙂
Hi carolyn,
i am from indonesia i think i get nomophobia,i cannot leave my phone even im sleep
it cause my job should be take a phone call
i want to be free,would you help me how i cant be out from nomophobia
sorry my english is bad
Hi Ade, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I can understand how you might have nomophobia if your job requires you to be on call all of the time. Try powering your phone off at night to get some quality sleep, if your job allows that. I’m hoping that they’ll support you getting a good night’s rest so you can be a more effective employee during the day!
Hi Carolyn. Enjoyed reading the article and am very impressed with this website. I am attached to my phone only because of keeping in touch w/my four children and nine grandchildren. I never turn it off. Also, since you rarely find phone booths any more, it’s smart for everyone to have some kind of phone in case you need help for any reason, i.e., car breaks down, etc., how are you going to call AAA? Lol – obviously, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a smart phone, but it would be an easier way to pass the time while waiting for assistance! Now, I’ll have to go check out more on your website!
Hi Roberta, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, I just heard a story today about someone’s friend who was holding out on not getting a cell phone. But one night her car broke down on a remote road and she had no way of calling for help. The next day she got her first cell phone. Even if you only have it for an emergency and you never need it, you still have the peace of mind that you can reach out when you’re in trouble.
Thanks for stopping by, Roberta. I hope you find plenty of articles that are helpful to you!