Smartphones during sex is a concerning trend; Users show hyperactivity and inattention symptoms with notifications on

A study by University of Virginia researchers has revealed that one in 10 people check their phones even while having sex. Society’s invasive use of digital technology may also be causing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms in general population. The study involved students and took place over two weeks.

A psychology research scientist at the University of Virginia, Kostadin Kushlev, said that smartphone owners spend nearly two hours per day using their phones. The data also revealed that seven in 10 people use their phone during work, 95 percent looked at their phones in social gatherings, and as already stated, one in 10 during sex.

Students who had their mobiles on ring or on silent showed hyperactivity symptoms and struggled to concentrate. The study has found the first experimental evidence that smartphone interruptions cause greater hyperactivity and inattention. Symptoms of ADHD were also noticed even in those taken from a non-clinical population.

The students participating in the study were asked to keep their alerts on and have their phones close by for the first week. During the second week, they had to do just the opposite. They were asked put their smartphones on silent mode and keep them away. Even if the students had never been diagnosed with ADHD, they showed symptoms when they had their mobile notifications and sounds on.

“Our findings suggest neither that smartphones can cause ADHD nor that reducing smartphone notifications can treat ADHD. The findings simply suggest that our constant digital stimulation may be contributing to an increasingly problematic deficit of attention in modern society,” Kushlev said in a University of Virginia statement.

The researchers also found that by keeping mobiles out of easy reach and away whenever possible, people can reduce the ill effects of overstimulation by smartphones. People should try to keep notifications at bay and enjoy natural life as much as possible.