Is the Device in Charge... or You?

• Position: SMARTPRONES - Brief article

Admit it--we all have used our smartphones at inappropriate and inopportune times: while driving, during family meals, in the bathroom... or even in the bedroom. We are a society glued to our phones, but when is it considered out of our control? According to researchers at Kent (Ohio) State University, the answer depends on the user.

Jian Li, Jacob Barkley, and Andrew Lepp all Ph.D.s from the College of Education, Health, and Human Services --surveyed 516 college students, asking them about daily smartphone use.

The researchers then assessed an influential personality trait known as "locus of control:" Individuals with an internal locus of control generally perceive that control is centered within themselves. Those with an external locus of control generally perceive that control is centered outside themselves. For instance, control may rest with fate, luck, powerful others, or influential objects in their environment. Grade point average, sleep quality, and overall happiness were measured as well.

As daily smartphone use increases, so does the...