With the exception that most of us don’t routinely change our wives or husbands every couple of years for a newer, slimmer model, owning an iPhone can be a lot like being in a relationship.
And just like any relationship, time apart can lead to separation anxiety and other negative psychological effects.
A new study carried out by researchers from the University of Missouri suggests that iPhone users should avoid being parted from their iPhones during daily situations requiring large amounts of attention — such as taking tests, sitting in meetings, or carrying out important work assignments.
“Our findings suggest that iPhone separation can negatively impact performance on mental tasks,” says Russell Clayton, a doctoral candidate, who was the lead author of the study.
“The results from our study suggest that iPhones are capable of becoming an extension of our selves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of ‘self’ and a negative physiological state.”
The study found that users who were unable to answer their ringing iPhones while solving simple word search puzzles experienced raised heart rates and blood pressure, alongside anxious and unpleasant feelings.
Performance in these puzzles decreased, compared with performance when iPhone users were in possession of their iOS devices.
Entitled “The Extended iSelf: The Impact of iPhone Separation on Cognition, Emotion, and Physiology,” the paper can be read here (note: paywall). It was first published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
Via: Economic Times
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Yes, there is such a thing as iPhone separation anxiety”
I’m literally going throught this
sold my iPhone and iPad to get the 6+ and lost the money
and now I’m saving up to get one again
LIFE HAS BEEN HELL
That’s funny, I’ve actually made a concerted effort to separate myself from my iPhone. I realized that every time it lit up, made a sound, or vibrated I immediately grabbed it like a trained dog while 95% of the notifications were for crap I really didn’t care about. Or I would pull it out and look at the screen unable to decide what it is I need or want and just kinda stare at the home screen, I see other people do this all the time; too much of an addiction for me to feel good about lol. I turned off nearly all notifications except for text and when I get home from work I shove it in the drawer of my nightstand. My mental health feels to have benefited from this.