Excessive (过度的) smartphone use is a distinctly 21st century issue, but that doesn't make it any less problematic. Countless people spend their days endlessly scrolling from one social media feed or app to the next. Many argue there's an easy solution: place it in silent mode (模式).
Now, however, researchers from Penn State find that this approach can actually backfire for certain people. Study authors report people checked their phones more often when their devices were in silent mode. Notably, participants who scored high in "fear of missing out" and "need to belong" personality tests checked their phones the most after placing them on silent. In some cases, these individuals stayed on their phones for longer as well.
This work is based on data collected from the screen time monitoring tool of 138 iPhone users. Researchers focused on how two distinct psychological traits may influence how people act in response to placing their phones on either silence or vibrate. More specifically, study authors analyzed people who tend to be especially preoccupied (专注) with gathering information from others(fear of missing out, or FOMO), and people with a strong desire to maintain interpersonal relationships(need to belong).
Incredibly, in comparison to audio-alert or vibrate modes, each participant checked their phones more often when it was in silent mode. When the phone's sound and vibration was on, the groups checked their devices 52.9 times daily on average. When their phones were silent, that average rate nearly doubled to 98.2 times a day. Volunteers identified as having high levels of FOMO checked their phones roughly 50 times daily when their device was on vibrate, while in silent mode, they checked their phones about 120 times daily, and they also tended to keep scrolling significantly longer if their phones were in silent mode.
Participants with high levels of the need-to-belong trait actually didn't check their phones more in silent mode, however, they did stay on their phones longer if the devices were in either silent or vibration-only mode.
At the end of the day, smartphone use habits come down to the individual. Researchers conclude the first step toward developing healthier tech habits for everyone is understanding that different people react to apps, notifications, and various tech features differently.