You can spend long hours on your phone and not worry about mental health

While generally spending hours glued to a smartphone is considered to lead to anxiety, depression or stress by researchers, who advise caution when using it, a new study says that amount of time spent on the smartphone was not related to poor mental health. The study was conducted by The Lancaster University, The University of Bath and The University of Lincoln and published in the journal Technology, Mind, and Behavior. The study authors measured time spent on their smartphones by 199 iPhone and 45 Android users. The volunteers were then asked about their mental and physical health. They were also made to complete clinical scaled measuring anxiety and depression systems and a scale measuring how problematic they thought the usage of their smartphone is, to come to a conclusion. [caption id=“attachment_9080251” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The study team, in turn, found that mental health was actually associated with concerns participants felt about their own smartphone usage.[/caption] Lead author of the study Heather Shaw said in a statement that a person’s daily smartphone usage did not act as a predictor of anxiety, depression or stress. Those who showcased general anxiety and major depressive disorder did not use their phone more than those who scored below the threshold. The study team, in turn, found that mental health was actually associated with concerns participants felt about their own smartphone usage. Shaw added, “It is important to consider actual device use separately from people’s concerns and worries about technology. This is because the former doesn’t show noteworthy relationships with mental health, whereby the latter does.” Dr David Ellis, from the University of Bath’s School of Management, added that the results of their study add to a growing body of research that suggests reducing screen time does not necessarily make people happier.