Turn off your phone to stay in the here and now
In a "Funny or Die" PSA, Will Ferrell plays a man with his face buried in his smartphone while at his family dinner table. When his daughter announces she drew a horse that day, Ferrell responds "Good for you, son." His son then declares, "I'm selling bongs out of our minivan." As the overblown "confessions" snowball, Ferrell never looks up to acknowledge his crestfallen family. Funny, but sad ... and not uncommon. Almost 90 percent of you told the Pew Research Center that you used your cellphone during your most recent social gathering.
We're pretty sure that the oblivion and disrespect that often accompanies cellphone use in social situations inflicts harm on the phone user and those nearby. A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology indicates that we're likely right. Researchers had participants go to dinner with friends and family in groups of four or five. Half were told to leave their cellphone on the table to receive and respond to a research question. The other half were told to stash their phones, and answer a research question on paper. Turns out the phone-using group was bored and had a lousier time than the folks who interacted without digital distraction.
This comes on the heels of studies showing that a phone in a classroom dumbs kids down and notifications trigger ADHD-like symptoms of inattention. So it's pretty clear: In social situations, turn off, tune in and take notice. The rewards are real and immediate: Developing 3-D relationships is more fun.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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