Bailey MeCey

Smartphones have changed our lives, for better and for worse. These tiny computers in our pockets allow us to connect with family, search for huge amounts of information online, and do high-quality professional photography and videography. However, smartphones have a negative impact on our abilities to learn. Whether it is constantly dropping tasks to check a status update or the feeling that we have received a text when we have not, smartphone integration in our lives has had a radical effect on the way we learn and work.

Smartphones can affect our mental performance, even when they’re facedown on a desk or in your pocket. In the article Having Your Smartphone Nearby Takes a Toll on Your Thinking, the authors conducted a research study to see the effects of smartphone proximity to cognitive ability. They found that those who left their smartphone in another room performed better at tasks versus those that left their phone in their pocket, followed by those that left their smartphone on their desk. Even though the smartphone is face-down, just it being nearby is enough to reduce our mental ability. Smartphones have rewired our brains, and in even more ways than we think.

Ever felt a buzz from your pocket, but it turns out there wasn’t a notification at all? It is a real concept, called the “phantom vibration”. In the article Phantom Phone Vibrations: So Common They’ve Changed Our Brains?, Elise Hu examines what effect these phantom buzzes have on our lives. Sometimes the phantom vibration can be a trigger from our environment or just a random itch, but in each way, we reach to see if someone has responded to us. When we are in a moment that we must fully concentrate and focus on a task, these phantom vibrations can distract and shift us from what we are doing.

Smartphones and technology are only going to become more of a stronger component of our lives, but at the same time, we must reflect and understand the effect they have on our mental performance. If one is having difficulty staying focused on a homework assignment or job task, maybe moving your smartphone to another room can help. Even when you are not working, making space from your smartphone is a healthy way to reduce your dependency and phantom buzzes. While that seems like a Herculean task, taking the small steps to reduce smartphone integration can help improve learning and more.