Not notification, but users’ inner urge responsible for phone addiction: Study

Researchers have found that the responsibility behind smartphone addiction lies a little with the signal of notifications. Rather, it is largely caused by an inner urge of the users to interact with their phones, similar to an appeal to light a cigarette.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) conducted the study recently. 

They analysed the smartphone use of 37 people with an average age of 25 in the UK, Germany, and France. Participants were equipped with cameras that allowed the users to film their daily lives from a first-person perspective, reports BBC.

According to the study, 89% of interactions with phones were unprompted, with only 11% responding to an alert. Group chats were also considered a "source of distress" for participants in the study.

Scrolling features on Instagram and Facebook led to the longest interactions, the research found, said the research outcome.

Why people used their phones

In 22% cases, the participants used their smartphones for browsing WhatsApp while 17% for lock screen check (to see if any notifications), 16% for Instagram, 13% for Facebook, 6% for Email chedk and only 1% for making or receiving calls.

Although group chats were considered a "source of distress", users said the messages contained within them were largely unimportant.

Emails were ranked as the most important notification for participants in the study.

Users also spent less time on their phone when with other people, and the longest interactions took place on public transport or at home.