TEST 4

PHONES AND PRODUCTIVITY

WORD BANK

Screen time

The amount of time someone spends a day looking at screens – such as computers, TVs and phones.

Time-management apps

Mobile applications that are designed to help with completing tasks, scheduling meetings, and managing time.

Cognitive abilities

Skills related to mental abilities, such as maths, problem-solving, and memory.

Fear mongering

A tactic that is used to try make people afraid, often used by journalists.

It’s no secret: the average person spends a lot of time on their phone. It’s a powerful tool: it has a calendar, calculator, maps, newspapers, an alarm clock, as well as many other productivity and time-management apps. Not only that, but a phone can be used for social media or mobile gaming. When used correctly, a smartphone can make a human more productive, a faster worker, and better at their job.

Because smartphones are quite new, there aren’t many long-term studies about how it impacts the brain. Many studies only take place over a day, but have interesting results! One study tested the cognitive abilities of individuals by asking people to complete a task. One group of people had to complete the task while their phone was in the room, even though they couldn’t use it. The other group had to complete the task while the phone was locked away in a different room. The people who had their phones nearby did worse on the tests, even when they didn’t touch them! This could show how we are subconsciously distracted by our phones, impacting our cognition.

However, some people think that all the talk of phones ruining our brains is just fear mongering. Phones do not make us dumber – we just use them as a tool to help enhance our lives. We have stopped memorising phone numbers or street addresses because we don’t have to use them anymore – this does not mean our memories are necessarily worse!

Despite the conflicting evidence, there is a lot you can do for your own brain health. The first thing is to be aware of your phone usage, and to track your screen time. Try not to do ‘nothing’ on your phone – pick up your phone only when you have a reason to do so. It’s also good to have ‘phone free’ hours, especially when completing a task at work or spending time with family. Protect your eyes by taking a break every 20 minutes, and look at something that’s far away from you.

 Even though it’s still uncertain whether a smartphone has long-term effects on our brain, it’s important to be mindful about how we use our phones – it should enhance life, not just be a distraction.