A team led by SMU Associate Professor of Psychology Andree Hartanto tracked 181 iPhone users for seven days. The study showed that more frequent daily phone checking was associated with a higher incidence of cognitive failures, even after accounting for stress, mood, and demographic variables, while time spent on certain functional applications, such as navigation or selected social apps, showed a modest association with fewer cognitive failures. This suggested that purposeful smartphone use may reduce mental load. Assoc Prof Hartanto further noted that reduced phone checking was linked to fewer mental slips, with such changes observable within a single week of tracking.
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