Can't Focus? This Simple Trick With Your Phone Will Change Your Life!
Image generated with AI using the following prompt: ‘A smartphone with apps open, and sheet of partially answered questions with red crosses throughout, set in a classroom.’
Ever feel like your phone is making it hard to focus? A study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that just having your phone nearby, even if it's off and face down, can make it harder to think clearly.
Imagine you're taking a test at school. You might do better if your phone is all the way in your backpack instead of right next to you on your desk. That's because our brains use some energy to resist checking our phones, even when we know we shouldn't. This can make it harder to concentrate on other things.
The study involved two experiments with almost 800 smartphone users. In the first experiment, participants took tests that required focus while their phones were placed in different spots – on the desk, in their pockets, or in another room. The people who did best on the tests were the ones who left their phones in another room!
The researchers also found that people who were the most addicted to their phones did a lot worse than those who were less attached to their phones. The good news is that even for these phone-lovers, keeping their phones in another room improved their test scores. This means everyone can benefit from putting their phone away when they need to concentrate.
The researchers say it's like our brains have a limited amount of energy for thinking. When we use some of that energy trying to resist checking our phones, there's less left over for other tasks.
So next time you need to focus on something important, try putting your phone in another room. It might just help you think a little clearer!
