While many people claim that being attached to our technology is making us stupid, a recent study found that, in fact, the opposite was happening.
The University of Missouri recently conducted a study of 40 iPhone users to determine what effect their iPhone was having on them by asking them to complete puzzles both with and without their phones. The group were told that they were testing wireless cuffs that would measure blood pressure, and were asked to complete a word search puzzle.
They were then asked to put their phones away as they might be interfering with the cuffs and asked to do another puzzle, and while they were separated from their devices, the researchers rang their phones. The results showed that there were plenty of effects of being away from your iPhone, and that most of them would actually make your performance worse when trying to complete a given task.
The "psychological and physiological effects of being away from your iPhone - such as increased heart rate, blood pressure levels and feelings of anxiety" lead researchers to suggest that users should not be separated from their phones in a situation such as a work meeting, or some other scenario where they may already feel stressed. The study also showed that we really, really love our devices, maybe a bit too much, as "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".
Remember folks, it's just a phone...
Via i100
