Study Better with a Switched-Off Phone
Researchers from the University of Rutgers have found that using a mobile phone while taking a break during a study session may contribute to cognitive depletion.
Take away
When taking a break during a study session, keep the phone turned off and try taking a walk instead. It may help you study more effectively and in a shorter time. What the study showed Study subjects who took a break from a demanding cognitive task using a mobile phone (versus a break using paper or a computer) were less accurate and took a longer time to finish when they went back to the task. This may suggest that using a phone during a study session break doesn't let our brains recharge as effectively as if we do something else. Study design Participants (n=414) were asked to solve twenty anagrams using either pencil and paper, a computer or a mobile phone. After unscrambling the first ten anagrams, participants were randomly given three of four break tasks: use pencil and paper to write down items from a printed supermarket advertising circular that one could buy for a certain budget; use a computer screen and a supermarket website to locate items that could be bought for a certain budget; use a mobile phone and a supermarket website to locate items that could be bought for a certain budget. The control group had no break and thus no break task. Afterwards, participants solved the remaining ten anagrams. Results Regardless of the means by which the anagrams were solved, subjects who completed the break task using a mobile phone solved fewer anagrams correctly and took a longer time to finish than those who performed the break task with paper or computer, Of note, those in the control group showed no statistical difference in their scores from those who took the break with the mobile phone. Wait, but... This section aims to raise questions about the study so that its design or results aren't misunderstood. What remains unclear is the reason why the break using the mobile phone taxed participants more. Did it have to do with the size of the phone screen? Anyone who has shopped on a phone versus laptop may have sensed one being more comfortable, but does the size difference lead to increased cognitive drain? Or does simply grabbing the phone during a break activate dopamine pathways in expectation of an alert? And might that lead to mental fatigue? There's no clear understanding yet, and more studies ought to look into these questions. As mobile phone use among students grows, especially middle and high school-age children, it remains crucial to better understand the effects. Thanks to study authors Sanghoon Kang and Terri R. Kurtzberg for their work. Check out the study here. |
N=414 undergraduate students
from the University of Rutgers, New Jersey, USA |