Your phone becomes more addictive if you put it on silent mode, the study claims. Is that correct? | Nina

A message from your sweetheart, a breaking news, or a social media popup. We receive at least dozens of them every day: notifications. We prefer to look at those right away. “People who are glued to their screens quickly develop a fear of missing out (FOMO). So they want to constantly check their phones,” explains Florence Perez.

Then turn off the sound on your smartphone? Nope, because we are dealing more with the phone when we mute or activate vibrate mode, as opposed to when it beeps and rings. And the Do Not Disturb feature on our iPhone is actually counterproductive. This comes from an experiment conducted by Pennsylvania State University on 138 people. Those who left their cell phone sound on the phone answered their phone on average 52.9 times. Those who went into silent mode did so on average 98.2 times a day. nearly doubled.

“My first thought: It’s about a four-day trial. In such a short time you’ll definitely still be suffering from FOMO. If you’re addicted to your phone, kick the habit for a while when your phone stays silent. In the first few days, people will feel the need to Checking a lot and even worrying. It’s really true that you’ll reach your mobile phone more than anyone who has their own voice.”

Pires says the study is not representative. You will have to persevere with it for at least a week or ten days. Furthermore, silencing a mobile is not quite the same as turning off notifications.”

Golden tip: Turn off notifications, but don’t choose silent mode. Because if you put the mobile on silent, all kinds of notifications that you don’t hear will appear streaming. “This subconsciously excites your mind and excites your curiosity. You realize that you have lost everything.” Pérès thinks turning off notifications is a good idea. “By turning off notifications completely and always, you are entering a different way of thinking. You look at app notifications when they suit you. You are in control.”

“I have also made the decision to turn off notifications on your own. This makes you feel less ‘giving in’ and less ‘vulnerable’ than if you simply chose to put your mobile on silent mode for a while. The latter is not a conscious choice like turning off notifications permanently.”

You can also filter selectively and allow messages from your partner or children to pass through, for example. “Maybe it gives you peace of mind, because then you know you don’t miss the most important things. So choose from within the app specifically who you’ll allow or not allow notifications from. It’s best not to leave Whatsapp notifications on completely, but choose a selective group. You can do that in institutions.”

Finally, it is also important to persevere for longer than four days. “People often tell me they look for their phone more when notifications or sounds are turned off. I recommend stick with it for at least a week: turn off notifications and turn on sound. No one will choose to re-enable their notifications after a week. You just have to give yourself some time.”

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