Research Paper Title

Smartphone use undermines enjoyment of face-to-face social interactions.

Background

Using a field experiment and experience sampling, the researchers found the first evidence that phone use may undermine the enjoyment people derive from real world social interactions.

Methods

In Study 1, the researchers recruited over 300 community members and students to share a meal at a restaurant with friends or family. Participants were randomly assigned to keep their phones on the table or to put their phones away during the meal.

Results

When phones were present (vs. absent), participants felt more distracted, which reduced how much they enjoyed spending time with their friends/family.

The researchers found consistent results using experience sampling in Study 2; during in-person interactions, participants felt more distracted and reported lower enjoyment if they used their phones than if they did not.

Conclusions

This research suggests that despite their ability to connect us to others across the globe, phones may undermine the benefits we derive from interacting with those across the table.

Reference

Dwyer, R., Kushlev, K. & Dunn, E. (2017) Smartphone Use Undermines Enjoyment of Face-to-Face Social Interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.10.007.