Don’t call me: how a silent cellphone may improve concentration. From the study:

This preregistered study examined the psychological and physiological consequences of exercising self-control with the mobile phone. A total of 125 participants were randomly assigned to sit in an unadorned room for six minutes and either (a) use their mobile phone, (b) sit alone with no phone, or (c) sit with their device but resist using it. Consistent with prior work, participants self-reported more concentration difficulty and more mind wandering with no device present compared to using the phone. Resisting the phone led to greater perceived concentration abilities than sitting without the device (not having external stimulation)…. However, participants without external stimulation did not rate the experience as less enjoyable or more boring than having something to do….

What are the psychological and physiological costs of exercising self-control with the mobile phone? This question is central to our study, as we examine how people feel psychologically and how their body responds to resisting the mobile phone relative to being without the device or using it….

As expected, people who resisted their phone were less entertained than those who used their device. This finding suggests that the mobile phone can facilitate perceived psychological benefits relative to self-control with the device. Participants also perceived more concentration difficulty and more mind wandering when they were without their device relative to when they used their phone. Reported levels of concentration difficulty were attenuated, however, when participants had the device in front of them but resisted it. Together, these results suggest that the relationship between self-control and mobile phones is complex and nuanced. On the one hand, a positive outcome of mobile phone resistance is decreased perceived concentration difficulty relative to sitting alone without external stimulation. On the other hand, people are less entertained when resisting the phone versus using the device….

The data from this study suggest that people report less positive psychological consequences (e.g., more concentration difficulty, more mind wandering) when they are without their phone relative to when they use or resist the phone. Skin conductance data were largely consistent with this pattern and suggest that resisting the phone is less arousing than being without the device. These data partially replicate and also extend empirical evidence suggesting that “just thinking” is less positive than having something to do.

For a summary of the study, see here.

For a related study, see here

H/t Philippa Göranson