Smartphone is the reason behind inattentiveness

Increase in use of smart phones makes people inattentive and hyperactive, says a study.

Society's increasingly pervasive use of digital technology may be causing ADHD-like symptoms even among the general population.

"Less than 10 years ago, Steve Jobs promised that smartphones 'will change everything.' And with the Internet in their pockets, people today are bombarded with notifications - whether from email, text messaging, social media or news apps - anywhere they go. We are seeking to better understand how this constant inflow of notifications influences our minds," said Kostadin Kushlev, a psychology research scientist at the University of Virginia.

Kushlev said that recent polls have shown that as many as 95 percent of smartphone users have used their phones during social gatherings; that seven in 10 people used their phones while working; and one in 10 admitted to checking their phones during sex. Smartphone owners spend nearly two hours per day using their phones.

The researchers designed a two-week experimental study and showed that when students kept their phones on ring or vibrate, they reported more symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity than when they kept their phones on silent.

During Kushlev's and his colleagues' study, 221 students at the University of British Columbia drawn from the general student population were assigned for one week to maximize phone interruptions by keeping notification alerts on, and their phones within easy reach. During another week participants were assigned to minimize phone interruptions by keeping alerts off and their phones away.

At the end of each week, participants completed questionnaires assessing inattention and hyperactivity. The results showed that the participants experienced significantly higher levels of inattention and hyperactivity when alerts were turned on.

The results suggest that even people who have not been diagnosed with ADHD may experience some of the disorder's symptoms, including distraction, difficulty focusing and getting bored easily when trying to focus, fidgeting, having trouble sitting still, difficulty doing quiet tasks and activities, and restlessness.

This paper has been presented at ACM Human-Computer Interaction Conference.