According to a study that has just been presented and published by a group of scientists and researchers from the University of Texas in Austin (United States), it has been concluded that, apparently, the simple fact of having a mobile near us is already more than enough to reduce the power of our brain So, if you are one of those people who literally lives attached to one 24 hours a day or almost all of the time, it is time to start forgetting about it.
If for a moment we read the paper that refers to this study and where those in charge of carrying out this project have commented on all the indications that have led them to publish this series of conclusions, we find that, from the start and to carry out the experiment, the participation of no less than 800 mobile phone users. The idea was to be able to quantify in units of time in a much more realistic way, which is why there are so many participants in the project, how long it takes each of them to perform a task when their mobile is nearby.
For this study, the participation of 800 random people has been required
Basically what the group of researchers at the University of Texas has done has been measure the time that each participant in the experiment took to complete a specific task placing or not the mobile near them. As you may be imagining, especially if you usually work in an office or office with your mobile nearby, the results have been quite interesting and enlightening about what happens at all times.
An example of the tests that the participants of this peculiar experiment were subjected to was none other than sit in front of a computer and perform a series of activities for which the utmost attention was required. These tests were far from very expensive or too complex, we are talking about base tests with which scientists can measure certain data such as capacity of each of the participants to contain and process data at any given time, tests that serve to test the cognitive capacity of the users who perform them.
The team of researchers created different model tests that had to be carried out by the participants with the mobile near or without having it in sight
Before starting each of the tests, each participant received different orders of how you should place your mobile phoneIn this way, some had to place it directly in front of them while, on the contrary, other participating users had to put it on the table but with the screen facing down, in their pocket, others had to silence their terminal ...
The results of this experiment, as we said in previous lines, have been very clear since all users who did not have their smartphone with them far outperformed the rest in terms of the score obtained. With a lower score we found the users who kept their mobile in their pocket while, in last place and with a much lower score were the users who had the device on the table. These results suggest that both a person's cognitive capacity and cognitive functioning are considerably reduced by the mere presence of the mobile phone on the table.
Based on the statements made after the publication of the results obtained by one of the members that make up the team that has carried out this experiment, Adrian ward, we can conclude that:
We see a linear trend that suggests that as the smartphone becomes more noticeable, the cognitive ability of the participants declines. It is not that the participants were distracted because they were receiving notifications on their phones, it is that the mere presence of the smartphone was enough to reduce their cognitive ability.