The psychological effect of mobile phones through apps and situational usage

This University of Maryland group of researchers sought to find the psychological effects of mobile phones with its users. We created a survey and distributed it to University of Maryland undergraduate students over the age of 18.

We measured psychological effects through questions that addressed emotional attachment to mobile phones and links between mobile apps and social media engagement. The survey had 122 respondents to help find those answers.
So what did we find?

Well, apparently respondents said they would be very bored without their mobile phones in settings that aren’t generally considered fun, like in class or in waiting rooms at appointments. On the other hand, if respondents were at parties, bars or on dates, most answered that they’d be apathetic without their phones. They also said they’d be really angry if their date answered his or her phone on a date. It seems like people still want attention despite the world’s technological advances. Also, an overwhelming amount of respondents said they check their phones for texts and other notifications right before bed and first thing in the morning. 

So people go to their phones when they’re bored and they check their phones constantly. While it might not be surprising, it certainly was interesting. 

Additionally, it turns out that the more respondents shared news links on their Facebook mobile apps, the more they “liked” other friends’ news links.
Also, females without smart phones spent more time on Facebook than men and men with smart phones spent more time on their Facebook mobile app than females. 

Facebook apps even led to anxiety for some respondents. The more time respondents spend on their Facebook mobile app, the more they were anxious without their phones for one day. 

Lastly, we also found that most respondents had been on Facebook for five years and Twitter for only one year, which could indicate Twitter’s continual growth and popularity.