Smartphones have become so entrenched in daily life, but researchers say there’s good reason to consider cutting back screen time.
People who reduced their smartphone use by just an hour a day felt happier and more motivated at work and employers benefit as well with increased productivity, according to a new study published in the October 2024 edition of the journal Acta Psychologica.
Study participants said they felt less depressed and more in control when they made this change, lead researcher Julia Brailovskaia said in a press release.
Brailovskaia works at the German Center for Mental Health and the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany.
“A conscious and controlled reduction of non-work-related screen time, in combination with more physical activity, could improve employees’ work satisfaction and mental health,” she said.
Methodology
It was a small-scale study, …