If You Want to Use Your Phone Less, First Figure Out Why

Researchers analyzed 941 comments written in response to a Linkedin article about the risks of excessive smartphone use to identify the strategies people use to reduce the time spent on their phones — and the motivations behind them. They found that individuals disconnected from their smartphones for different reasons, and while having a strategy to limit your smartphone use matters, making sure that strategy aligns with your values and motivations is key to successfully changing your behavior. For example, if your motivation is to increase focused time at work, then scheduling phone free hours will work better for you than someone whose motivation is to improve social interactions. Someone with the latter motivation may benefit more from a strategy like turning off push notifications in public.