Happiness is resisting answering your mobile: People who can ignore texts or calls are likely to be more contented
If you are constantly on your mobile phone,
most onlookers might think you have lots of
friends and a busy social life.
However, those attached to the phone are
likely to be less happy than those who can
resist a ring or a message alert, says a study.
Avid mobile phone users also suffer from
higher anxiety while students see their class
work suffer with lower marks than those who
are able to switch off.
Researchers studied more than 500 students
to look at their daily phone usage and gauge
how it affected their outlook on life.
They found that far from making people feel
more connected to friends the phone only
heightened their anxiety as many felt
obligated to keep in constant touch.
They found users suffered heightened anxiety
as many felt obligated to keep in constant
touch.
Others had trouble disconnecting from social
media sites such as Facebook.
The study by scientists Jacob Barkley, Aryn
Karpinski and Andrew Lepp is in stark contrast
to previous research that found mobile
phones improve social interaction and help
reduce feelings of isolation.
Previous research has claimed that mobile
phones improve social interaction and help
reduce feelings of isolation.
But the latest study by Kent University in Ohio
found constant phone use was linked to
greater stress.
One student said: 'The social network
sometimes just makes me feel a little bit tied
to my phone.
'It makes me feel like I have another
obligation in my life.'
Another complained that having a mobile
phone meant that he could always be
contacted at any time.
The researchers used a clinical measure of
anxiety and each student's level of satisfaction
with their own life in the analysis.
Researcher Andrew Lepp added: 'There is no
me time or solitude left in some of these
students' lives and I think mental health
requires a bit of personal alone time to
reflect, look inward, process life's events, and
just recover from daily stressors.'
Those taking part, aged from 18 to 22,
allowed the study team to access their exam
results, known in the US as a grade point
average (GPA), from university records.
'Also, a few of the students we interviewed
reported sending texts constantly throughout
the day from morning to night that in itself
might be stressful.'
There are now more mobile phones in the UK
than people with the latest figures showing
80.2 million subscription.
The popularity in recent years of smart
phones, such as the iPhone, has meant that
94 per cent of all adults own a mobile.