The findings of a study by the Danube University in Krems near Vienna suggest that using a mobile phone for less than two hours a day has benefits for people’s mental health.

The research, which was published in the journal BMC Medicine, is clear about the health benefits of this change in daily mobile phone use. According to the results, the head of the research team, Christoph Pieh, emphasizes: “For the first time we were able to demonstrate a causal relationship between smartphone use and mental health.”

Researchers analysed the benefits of reducing mobile phone use

During the study, participants were divided into two groups. While in the first group, participants reduced their mobile phone use to a maximum of two hours a day, the second group continued with their usual routine of an average of four and a half hours a day.

After a period of three weeks, it was observed that those who made up the first group “showed a decrease in depressive symptoms by 27 % and stress by 16 %, while sleep quality increased by 18 % and general well-being improved by 14 %.”

Professor Pieh, in light of the results, recommended reducing the time spent in front of digital device screens by more than two hours and, in addition, achieving a “sustainable change in usage behavior” despite consumer habits in the digital age.

The researcher in charge of the study stressed that the positive effects of using the mobile phone less do not last if it does not become a habit. He added that “after the trial, participants again increased the time they spend in front of screens, so the psychological symptoms worsened.”

M.Pino

Source: elsiglo

(Main reference image source: ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash)

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