Psychologist Discovers Visible Smartphone Alone Reduces Cognitive Performance Even When Not Used

What was said

"There are now studies showing that if you have a phone visible, you'll do worse on cognitive tests if it's visible, even if you can't use it. And the more phone-dependent you are, the greater that deficit is."

New research cited by Epstein shows that merely having a smartphone visible during cognitive tasks reduces performance, even when the phone cannot be used. The effect is stronger for people who are more phone-dependent. This builds on psychologist Gloria Mark's finding that people become accustomed to a certain level of distraction and will self-interrupt with intrusive thoughts at the same cadence even when trying to focus.