Todays college students simply cant live without texting.
Most university students send and receive more than 100 texts per day, and often these texts are sent during times you might not expect, according to a recent study published in the Social Science Journal.
The poll, which surveyed more than 150 students from a midsized university in the northeastern United States, found the majority of respondents acknowledged sending texts while on a date, during church services, at a funeral or in the shower.
Interestingly enough, the surveyed students admitted texting in these situations was socially unacceptable, but they just couldnt help themselves.
As an example, most people in our study said that it is wrong to text someone while talking in-person to someone else, but most of them did it anyway, said Marissa Harrison, the study lead and associate professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg. Similarly, most people said that texting others while on a date is not the right thing to do, but they did that anyway, too.
Other findings from the study include:
Research from Baylor University indicated that female college students spend an average of 10 hours per day on their cellphones, while male students average eight. These are hours, which if applied correctly, could be spent paying more attention in class or studying.
However, for many students, texting a friend, sending an email or scrolling through endless social media feeds offers instant gratification and entertainment something theyre probably not finding in textbooks and lectures.
If the teacher is really monotone, Ill drift off on my phone, said Maryam Dadi, a sophomore at Cal Poly Pomona.
What causes so many students to become addicted to their phones?
I would say it is just like other compulsions and impulses there is something rewarding about sending and receiving a text message, said Harrison.
Eli Finkel, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, said its simply a matter of poor self-control.
It looks like texting at inappropriate times is like eating chocolate cake when were on a diet, he said. We know what were doing isnt good for us, but we do it anyway.
Although there are many useful and great things that cellphones make available to users, most experts say they should be used in moderation.
Randi Zuckerberg, who spoke with the Deseret News National earlier this year, reminded users that happy, abundant lives are still built on personal relationships outside of technology.
Technology has given us unprecedented opportunity to connect and share," she said. "While this is a wonderful thing, we also need to remind ourselves that a life truly well lived is not a life constantly buried in a smartphone."
Most university students send and receive more than 100 texts per day, and often these texts are sent during times you might not expect, according to a recent study published in the Social Science Journal.
The poll, which surveyed more than 150 students from a midsized university in the northeastern United States, found the majority of respondents acknowledged sending texts while on a date, during church services, at a funeral or in the shower.
Interestingly enough, the surveyed students admitted texting in these situations was socially unacceptable, but they just couldnt help themselves.
As an example, most people in our study said that it is wrong to text someone while talking in-person to someone else, but most of them did it anyway, said Marissa Harrison, the study lead and associate professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg. Similarly, most people said that texting others while on a date is not the right thing to do, but they did that anyway, too.
Other findings from the study include:
- Respondents said they check their phones for new messages nearly 16 times per hour.
- 90 percent of students said they text while eating, and just over 80 percent text while using the restroom.
- 70 percent said they text while at the movies, even though the majority of them knew that was considered extremely rude.
- 33 percent of students said they texted while in the shower.
- 10 percent admitted to texting during a funeral.
Research from Baylor University indicated that female college students spend an average of 10 hours per day on their cellphones, while male students average eight. These are hours, which if applied correctly, could be spent paying more attention in class or studying.
However, for many students, texting a friend, sending an email or scrolling through endless social media feeds offers instant gratification and entertainment something theyre probably not finding in textbooks and lectures.
If the teacher is really monotone, Ill drift off on my phone, said Maryam Dadi, a sophomore at Cal Poly Pomona.
What causes so many students to become addicted to their phones?
I would say it is just like other compulsions and impulses there is something rewarding about sending and receiving a text message, said Harrison.
Eli Finkel, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, said its simply a matter of poor self-control.
It looks like texting at inappropriate times is like eating chocolate cake when were on a diet, he said. We know what were doing isnt good for us, but we do it anyway.
Although there are many useful and great things that cellphones make available to users, most experts say they should be used in moderation.
Randi Zuckerberg, who spoke with the Deseret News National earlier this year, reminded users that happy, abundant lives are still built on personal relationships outside of technology.
Technology has given us unprecedented opportunity to connect and share," she said. "While this is a wonderful thing, we also need to remind ourselves that a life truly well lived is not a life constantly buried in a smartphone."
