Smartphones Could Be Jeopardizing Your Study Space

By Kylie Wolfe

As you read this article, take note of what’s nearby. Your computer, a notebook or pen, and most likely, your phone. Even though you tell yourself to buckle down and finish your homework or study for a test, you’ll likely still reach for one of these items. But having your phone close by could be more of a distraction than a help—and science can explain why.

Establishing the Hypothesis

A study published in 2017 in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research gained attention because it highlighted the effects of smartphones on the brain. The study’s authors, Adrian Ward and his colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin, claimed that having a phone nearby could reduce one’s cognitive capacity.

Participants were asked to solve math problems while remembering a series of letters. As these tests occurred, participants’ phones were either on the desk, in their pocket, or in another room. When their phones were out of reach, participants performed better than when the phones were within reach.

Ward and team concluded that the presence of a phone can trap valuable cognitive resources. You may not be consciously aware of your phone or actively using it, but it’s still impacting your mental capacity. That’s because your brain is using up resources to help you not think about the phone or its contents.

Refreshing the Research

Over the last decade, many scientists have studied this “brain drain” hypothesis and published their findings. Another researcher, Doug Parry, a lecturer at Stellenbosch University, decided to combine these results to see how much of a problem society was facing.

After reviewing 27 studies from 25 publications, Parry found that having a phone nearby primarily affects working memory. Other studies had also explored sustained attention, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and fluid intelligence, but Parry concluded that the results were not statistically significant in those areas.

This analysis was released in October 2022 and further emphasized the distracting role phones can play in everyday life. Parry explained that our awareness of the online world can occupy our minds even when we’re not online.

Asking More Questions

As technology advances, phones will gain new features and become a larger part of our existence. Scientists will continue to study how phones impact cognition, too, but they suspect two factors are at play: one’s overall attachment to the device and the fear of missing out.

We depend on our phones for the weather, to connect with others, and to make our lives easier. It’s clear that phones aren’t going anywhere, but maybe keeping them out of our study zones and workspaces could give our brains the ability to focus and thrive.