Do you ever find yourself feeling mentally drained after using your smartphone for an extended period of time? It’s not all in your head. According to a study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, smartphones can actually suck up your cognitive capacity and reduce brain power.
Power down your phone; power up your brain
Cognitive capacity refers to your brain’s ability to process and hold information. This capacity plays a crucial role in many mental tasks you undertake throughout the day. If you want to maintain a high cognitive capacity, keeping your smartphone within arm’s reach could be inhibiting your potential.
During the study, researchers asked participants to complete tests that measured cognitive capacity. Some had their cell phones placed face down on the desk, others had their phones in a purse or pocket, and the remaining participants had their phones in another room. All of the phones were set to silent. Interestingly enough, the group who outperformed the others had their cell phones in another room. Their cognitive capacity results far exceeded those who had their smartphones placed face down on the desk or within another close proximity, such as a purse or pocket.
According to Adrian Ward, a coauthor of the study, this linear trend displayed a decrease in cognitive capacity when the smartphone is easily noticeable. Ward explains, “Your conscious mind isn’t thinking about your smartphone, but that process – the process of requiring yourself to not think about something – uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It’s a brain drain.”
Stop the cycle of smartphone brain drain
The takeaway? When you want your brain operating at its highest capacity, position your smartphone somewhere out of sight. The further the better. Disassociating with your smartphone can provide more benefits than just improving your cognitive ability. This simple practice can also improve your overall quality of life in a myriad of ways. For example, turning off your smartphone can enhance engagement and conversation when you’re sharing a meal with your family. Watching a movie with your spouse can feel more intimate if your smartphone isn’t buzzing at the side table. Even going for a walk with your dog or meeting up with friends can be made more enjoyable by merely shutting off your phone.
By reducing your dependency on your smartphone, you can save much more than just your battery life and time. Make a conscious effort to break away from your smartphone and see the difference it can make in your cognitive capacity.
If you’re keen to learn more about how smartphones can impact your brain, check out this Science Daily article which goes into greater depth. Also, take a look at “Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity”, a resourceful paper published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research during 2017.
