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Cell phones are always distracting, used or not. Cell phones are undeniably distracting, but most had thought the distraction was limited to when the screen was on. New research has found that the mere presence of a cell phone is enough to send our mind wandering. That study found that “even if you go all day without touching your cell phone once, just having it visible nearby may distract you from complex tasks. In the first part of the study, participants were asked to complete different motor tasks with the study leader’s cell phone visible. In the second, participants completed motor tasks with their own cell phones visible. Performance on complex tasks suffered in both conditions when compared to control groups with no visible cell phone.” The researchers think the effect is likely due to the possibilities a cell phone conjures, rather than what you might actually be doing with it. “With the presence of the phone, you’re wondering what other people might be doing. Even if it’s just mental, your focus is not on the task at hand, whether it be trying to write an article, get this spreadsheet set up, or just socializing. Your mind is elsewhere.”
