December 14, 2009, 1:39 PM — The conventional wisdom is that cell phones create stress in our lives. But a new study of 1,083 Australians finds the opposite may be true. Cell phones may make us feel "less rushed."
Professor Michael Bittman and Judith Brown from the University of New England in Australia and Professor Judy Wajcman from the London School of Economics in the UK conducted study, which was published in a journal called Work, Employment and Society.
The study found that people who used their phones more were not more stressed than people who used phones less. Researchers concluded that cell phones provide flexibility to schedules, which may have a de-stressing impact on users.
Although cell phones create a theoretical threat to leisure time, because they make people always available to work colleagues, the study found that actual infringement on person time is rare. Most work-related calls are made during normal business hours.
Although this one study is by no means definitive, its conclusions feel right to me. Modern life is stressful and cell phones are increasingly part of everyone's lives. And, as the study suggests, some aspects of carrying and using a cell phone create stress, and other aspects relieve it.
What's your view. Does your cell phone give you more stress than it takes away?
