Keeping your phone nearby but not using it may give you a bump in perceived concentration, according to new research.
Researchers recruited 125 participants for the study, whom they assigned to one of three groups and then directed to sit alone in an empty room for six minutes, though they didn’t tell participants the duration.
Here’s how researchers divided up the groups:
Members of one group were told to entertain themselves with their mobile phone, except no phone calls and no texting.
Members of the second group had to leave their phones outside the room, sit alone without their device, and entertain themselves with their thoughts.
Members of the third group could keep their phones but told to turn them face down on the table in front of them and not use them. They were also told to entertain themselves with their thoughts.
Researchers used a fingertip device to measure skin conductance, an indicator of arousal. They used post-study questionnaires to measure participants’ level of enjoyment, concentration difficulty, mind wandering, and general mood.
The researchers found that participants without their phones had more difficulty concentrating and more mind wandering compared to those who used their phone. And those who had to resist using their phone had greater perceived concentration abilities than those who sat without their phone.
“The surprising finding for me was the reduction in concentration difficulty when people had to resist” using the phone, says Dave Markowitz, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.
Markowitz is interested in understanding the psychology of communication behavior, including language patterns and how focused phone nearby
