Last updated April 12, 2019
Americans love their new and old cell phones, with around eight out of ten people all having one, but a new study shows that the popular devices also increase stress in their users. The Pew Research Center has conducted a study that suggests that the use of the devices is bordering on addiction for many people, with over two thirds of cell phone users never even taking a break or even turning them off at any point in the day.
David Ballard from the American Psychological Association says that even one or two hours with the cell phone turned off can help to reduce the stress level of the average cell phone user, “whether it’s making the dinner table at a technology free zone, whether it’s walking in the door and you’re going to place your phone on the night stand for the next two hours and you’re not going to touch it while you spend your time with your family,” he notes.
Ballard is one of a growing number of psychologists who strongly recommend that cell phone users turn the device off for at least a couple of hours in a day because they believe that constant use of them, particularly the newer “smart-phones” is contributing to rising stress levels in individuals. “You can’t go to dinner without looking around and seeing somebody having dinner with their family but everyone is on their smart-phones not even making eye contact or having a conversation with each other,” Ballard observes.