Explained: The Downside of Using Smartphones

Did you know that the average person checks their smartphone about 80 times every day? This means you’re likely to be looking at your cell phone about 30,000 times in the coming year. While this is something that’s considered normal today, some studies actually suggest smartphone addiction can have negative effects on your brain.

Negative side effects

While smartphones offer a lot of convenience to users, they also increase feelings of anxiety and have a big impact on your behavior and attention. Scientists have found that the effects of smartphones on people are both troubling and fascinating. For instance, researchers have found that your phone shapes your behavior and thoughts in complicated ways, but what’s surprising is that these effects persist even when you aren’t using your phone!

Studies have also shown that smartphones can affect a user’s attention span and performance, and even cause spikes in their blood pressure.

A study done by a researcher found that using a cell phone or even hearing a smartphone vibrate or ring could create distractions that make it hard for an individual to focus. The more distracted you are, the more your performance and reasoning are likely to be affected.

Smartphone addiction – How to fight it

While you may not be able to stop using your smartphone entirely, an easy way to fight smartphone addiction is by deleting or limiting social media on your smartphone. What many people don’t realize is they spend a considerable amount of time going from one social media app to the other continuously, without thought.

Another thing you can do is consciously make the effort to put your smartphone away. So, if you are riding on the subway, try reading a newspaper or book instead of using your smartphone.

Also, it is a good idea to delete all the gaming apps from your smartphone, so you only use it to communicate with people, and not as a distraction.