Study Finds Blocking Mobile Internet on Smartphones Boosts Attention, Mental Health, and Well-Being
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Smartphones enable people to access the online world from anywhere at any time. Despite the benefits of this technology, there is growing concern that smartphone use could adversely impact cognitive functioning and mental health.
According to a recent research published in the PNA Nexus Journal, shows a link between smartphone usage and attention, mental health and well- being. Correlational and anecdotal evidence suggests that these concerns may be well-founded, but causal evidence remains scarce.
The researchers conducted a month-long randomized controlled trial to investigate how removing constant access to the internet through smartphones might impact psychological functioning. They used a mobile phone application to block all mobile internet access from participants’ smartphones for 2 weeks and objectively track compliance. This intervention specifically targeted the feature that makes smartphones “smart” (mobile internet) while allowing participants to maintain mobile connection (through texts and calls) and nonmobile access to the internet (e.g. through desktop computers).
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