Phone-obsessed students have sex with MORE people than those who avoid using apps — but have lower grades and are more likely to suffer with drinking problems, study claims
- Researchers surveyed 3,425 students at a US university about their phone use
- One in five used mobiles excessively, especially women and younger students
- Phone addicts were twice as likely to have more than six recent sexual partners
- Experts also found associations with impulsiveness and lowered mental health
Phone-obsessed students have sex with more people than their less device-dependant peers, a study claims, but it might not be making them happier.
An international team of researchers surveyed 3,425 US university students about their phone use, mental health and other aspects of their lives.
One in five students used their phones too much, they found, and were likely to have more sexual partners, drinking problems, mental health issues and poorer grades.
It could be that dating apps help students to find more partners, or alternatively that being phones-obsessed leads students to neglect more traditional relationships.
While more work is needed to explore these associations, the researchers hope universities will note how smartphone obsession can come with poor mental health.
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Phone-obsessed students have sex with more people than their less device-dependant peers, a study claims, but it might not be making them happier
Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge, in the UK, and Chicago and Minnesota in the US surveyed 3,425 US university students, most of whom were in their late teens.
Participants were asked such questions as 'Do you feel fretful or impatient without your smartphone?' and 'Do friends or relatives complain about excessive use?'
The researchers found that one in five of the students were overly dependant on their smartphones, with women and younger participants more likely to exhibit excessive phone use.
In addition, students who overused their smartphones were more likely to have had more sexual partners.
Of the excessive device users, 38 per cent reported having two or more sexual partners in the last year with 7 per cent having six or more — compared to 27 per cent and 3 per cent among the less phone-dependant participants.
'Smartphones may act as a social avenue for sexual contact, whether through sustained partnerships or more casual sex,' the researchers wrote in their paper.
The researchers were reportedly surprised by the responses to their survey.
'The research showed a strong association between problematic phone use and impulsiveness,' paper author and psychiatrist Sam Chamberlain, of the University of Cambridge, told The Times.
'It could be that people with that personality trait are more likely to get addicted to using their phones, so they’re more exposed to dating apps and more likely to meet more partners.'
Alternatively, overuse of smartphones could be encouraging students to neglect more normal relationships, Dr Chamberlain told BBC News.
Having a more adventurous sex life did not seem to make those students happier, however, as they were also more likely to report partaking in heavy drinking and being afflicted by anxiety, poor self-esteem and other mental health issues.
'The association of excessive phone use with problem drinking may also be important,' said Dr Chamberlain.
'If people are drinking more alcohol and having more sexual partners, they may also be engaging in more risky behaviours such as unprotected sex.'
It could be that dating apps help students to find more partners, or alternatively that being phones-obsessed leads students to neglect more traditional relationships
However, excessive phone use was not related to other forms of substance abuse.
'It's easy to think of problematic smartphone use as an addiction,' said Dr Chamberlain.
'But if it was that simple, we would expect it to be associated with a wide range of substance misuse problems, especially in such a large sample, but this does not seem to be the case.'
Dr Chamberlain stressed that more research will be required into these issues, as it was not possible to be sure if the difference in sexual activity and mental health were a direct result of excessive phone use.
Alongside connections with alcohol use and sexual activity, the researchers also found that phone addicts tended to get slightly lower grades at university.
'The effect of problematic smartphone use on grade point averages was relatively small,' co-author and University of Chicago psychiatrist Jon Grant told BBC News.
However, he added, 'it’s worth noting that even a small negative impact could have a profound effect on an individual’s academic achievement and then on their employment opportunities in later life.'
Professor Grant and colleagues hope that their findings inspire universities to consider how excessive smartphone use impacts the mental health of their students.
'It is concerning and I'm glad the work is being done,' Abigael San, a member of the British Psychological Society, told the BBC.
'All of these effects are very real and are problems discussed in therapy sessions. Often people don't come with a smartphone issue - instead it is a mental health issue or a relationship break-up - but more than often smartphone usage plays a part.'
The full findings of the study were published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.
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