Steer your own adventure: How Cars4Us delivers Top-Tier rides for the Modern Man’s Lifestyle
How Cars4Us Delivers Top-Tier Rides for the Modern Man’s Lifestyle
Reading this on a phone? Great. Smile and take a selfie, because we have good news. Phones don’t make people sad. People do.
At least that’s the finding of a study at Lancaster University, which has found spending prolonged periods of time on your phone isn’t bad for your mental health. Problem is, worrying – unnecessarily, it turns out – about your phone use, is potentially harmful.
As the budding influencer said to the clueless sponsor, come again? Has your smartphone been miscast as pocket-sized, anxiety-inducing digital doom machine for a selfie-obsessed society? Quite possibly. And that reputation, built both on previous research and hysterical headlines, is the real devil here, playing into an individual’s concerns about their usage.
In the study, the researchers measured the time spent on smartphones by 199 iPhone users and 46 Android users for one week. Participants were also asked about their mental and physical health, as well as being quizzed on how problematic they perceived their smartphone usage to be.
To the surprise and relief of just about everyone aside from a few dozen Tibetan monks and to the chagrin of those poor souls who just shelled out a couple of grand for a week-long digital detox in the Byron Bay hinterland, the amount of time spent on smartphones was not related to poor mental health. Given the average Aussie spends up to three hours a day on their phone, according to a Deloitte report, this is cause for a collective, nationwide double-tap.
“A person’s daily smartphone pickups or screen time did not predict anxiety, depression, or stress symptoms,” says study author Heather Shaw, who cautions against unnecessary digital detoxes. Those who did display signs of anxiety and depression, she adds, didn’t use their phone more than those who showed no signs.
“It is important to consider actual device use separately from people’s concerns and worries about technology,” says Shaw.
So, how do you quit worrying about it, then? Well, you can turn off any monitoring apps for a start. Those will only contribute to any anxiety you may be harbouring about your usage.
And, if you’re still here, reading this on your phone, there is always the nuclear option: switch the damn thing off. That will assuredly stop any usuage worries from progressing beyond your cerebral cortex but could, in turn, trigger another modern malaise: FOMO.
Don’t worry, yours truly (and the rest of the world wide web) will still be here when you get back. Promise.
More From
How Cars4Us Delivers Top-Tier Rides for the Modern Man’s Lifestyle
Every training goal ultimately starts with nutrition. Meal prep is your greatest ally
A Conversation With Dr. Douk, Founder Of The Well Club
Discover why hitting a ball around the links is a surefire way to reduce your stress – just ask Justin Bieber
Maik Wiedenbach’s Success Shows A Path For Athletes
How superstar Lenny Kravitz stays ripped as he approaches 60 years old. His body has to be seen to be believed
This total-body burner is a test of endurance, strength and determination. Use these tips to record a sky-high score
Your pecs are the key to a killer physique. Here, Men's Health fitness expert Khan Porter reveals his go-to moves to build a strong chest.