Your phone is the reason you're a tired procrastinator, study says
Scientists say we're losing more sleep over our phones, but you probably knew that.
- She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
How addicted are you to your phone?
The most dangerous thing I can say to myself in the morning is "I've got time." Like many people, I check my phone when I wake up. If I'm not quite ready to get out of bed, I keep scrolling. Articles lead to memes, memes lead to videos, and before I know it, I'm looking up what everyone from The Wonder Years is doing now. I'm also late to work.
Researchers call it "technoference." It means you prioritize your phone over other parts of your life like your marriage, your kids, your work, sleeping or even safety. In study results released Monday, scientists at Queensland University of Technology said they've seen a jump in technoference over the last 13 years.
The study's data showed more people blame their phone for their being tired, being less productive, driving distracted and being in pain. Twenty-four percent of women and 15 percent of men studied are classified as "problematic mobile phone users," according to study leader Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios.
Along with decreased productivity and increased pain, respondents reported they sometimes tried to hide their phone use. Those surveyed also expressed anxiety that people wouldn't be able to reach them if they didn't have their phones .
"Rapid technological innovations over the past few years have led to dramatic changes in today's mobile phone technology -- which can improve the quality of life for phone users but also result in some negative outcomes," Oviedo-Trespalacios said.
University researchers surveyed 709 phone users in Australia aged 18 to 83 in 2018. The team conducted a similar study in 2005.