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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile we may be killing time by scrolling through social media or checking sports scores, a new study published in the Journal of Economic Psychology<\/em> concludes that our seemingly constant use of the phone may come at a social cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers highlight that many adults can remember a time when people taking public transportation or at a gathering would chat or engage others in conversation, whereas now, everyone is “plugged in and looking down.” Generally – no longer socializing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Study<\/p>\n\n\n\n For their experiment, they brought groups of six students into a laboratory and had them wait together for 20 minutes. \u00a0Some groups were allowed to use phones as usual. For others, they confiscated the phones and made them wait without them. They then broke the students up into pairs to play a simple trust game that gave them the chance to earn more money back by sharing up front\u2014if they trusted the partner to split the final pot rather than pocket it, and if their partner actually did send back money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Results <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who didn\u2019t have phones and who also interacted with other people in the waiting room tended to share more up front than those who didn\u2019t interact. Even more significantly, the partners without phones also gave back more than those with phones\u2014and more than they\u2019d received. The researchers attribute this generosity to the trust engendered when people connect with one another. \u201cIf you are not looking someone in the eye, you\u2019re almost treating them as less than human\u2014it\u2019s just money,\u201d she says. \u201cBut if you\u2019d looked up and smiled and chatted, then you\u2019d developed more of a sense of who this person is. They are no longer a blank slate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusions<\/p>\n\n\n\n While our phones undoubtedly connect us to loved ones and others far away, they can also distance us from strangers close at hand, lead researcher Campbell concludes. People might look at their phones in social situations for a number of reasons, including boredom, shyness, or a feeling like others might not want to talk to them. Campbell suggests, however, that by putting away our phones around strangers, we might feel more of a sense of trust that could enrich everyone\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children could learn more social skills by giving up their phones during the school day or at summer camp. In a business context, managers might foster a sense of trust by limiting phone usage at certain times, such as orientations, when new hires could be encouraged to drop their phones on the way into the room and pick them up on their way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cObviously, our phones are immensely valuable, but in some situations, it may be more valuable to chat to the person next to you,\u201d she says. \u201cYou might be surprised to find they want to chat with you too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Smartphones are ubiquitous in modern society. It seems that as soon as we sit down on a bus or wait in a line at the Post Office, the first thing we do is pull out our phones. A number of studies have shown that the average American checks their phones almost 100 times a day … Continue reading Strangers Trust Others More When They Put Down Their Phones<\/span>
Campbell S, Sneezy U. Smartphone use decreases trustworthiness of strangers. Journal of Economic Psychology<\/em>, Volume 102, June 2024, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016<\/a>\/j.joep.2024.102714.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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