Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Mental Health Addiction

People who are easily hypnotized are more likely to be addicted to their smartphones, study finds

by Beth Ellwood
July 17, 2020
in Addiction
Photo credit:  BuzzFarmers

Photo credit: BuzzFarmers

Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Stay on top of the latest psychology findings: Subscribe now!

New research published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that being absorbed by your smartphone might bear some resemblance to a hypnotic trance. A hypnosis experiment found that students with heightened smartphone addiction scores followed more hypnotic suggestions than their counterparts.

Study authors Jay A. Olson and his team were the first to explore the relationship between smartphone addiction and hypnotisability. They propose three features that problematic smartphone use and hypnosis have in common: absorption, time distortion, and automaticity.  Heavy smartphone users tend to get absorbed in their screens, lose track of time spent on their phones, and feel a loss of control when using their phones – behaviors that suggest a trance-like state.

“If heavy smartphone use can resemble hypnosis,” Olson and colleagues say, “people who are more hypnotisable may also be more prone to problematic smartphone use, in which phone use interferes with daily life.”

A sample of 641 university students with an average age of 21 took part in a hypnosis experiment. Students first listened to a 45-minute audio recording designed to induce hypnosis. Next, they heard 12 verbal suggestions, for example, a suggestion that the subject’s “head will fall forward or that they will be momentarily unable to open their eyes.” Following the 12 suggestions, subjects were led out of hypnosis and asked to complete a questionnaire asking them how many of the prompts they had followed. They then completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale to assess how much their smartphone use disrupts their normal life, which included items like, “I feel impatient and fretful when I am not holding my smartphone.”

Results showed a positive correlation between participants’ scores on the Smartphone Addiction Scale and the number of hypnotic suggestions they followed.

The authors propose two underlying psychological constructs that might explain the relationship between smartphone addiction and hypnotisability. The first is dissociation, which is when a person “disengages from the sense of self or the environment.” Previous research has uncovered dissociative tendencies in subjects who are easily hypnotized and also in subjects who display problematic technology use. Another construct possibly linking the two behaviors is sociality. Hypnotisability, the authors say, may be related to one’s tendency to respond to social cues, and using phones for social purposes has been linked to addictive behavior.

The prevalence of problematic cell phone use was particularly high in this study. The average score for participants was 31.41, which, as the researchers report, means that “51% of the women and 39% of the men would have a high risk of phone addiction.”

Since developers stand to gain more data collection and advertising revenue by keeping users engrossed in their phones, smartphone technology is likely to become still more immersive. The authors suggest this may increase users’ problematic behavior. “To reduce automatic interactions,” Olson and team suggest, “behavioural interventions could reduce the salience of the phone or make it more effortful to use, for example by keeping the phone further out of reach or limiting sporadic notifications.”

The study, “Hypnotised by Your Phone? Smartphone Addiction Correlates With Hypnotisability”, was authored by Jay A. Olson, Moriah Stendel, and Samuel Veissière.

TweetSendScanShareSendPin2ShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

From fireflies to brain cells: Unraveling the complex web of synchrony in networks
Addiction

Understanding “neuronal ensembles” could revolutionize addiction treatment

July 3, 2025

The same brain system that rewards you for a delicious meal is hijacked by drugs like fentanyl. A behavioral neuroscientist explains how understanding the specific memories behind these rewards is the key to treating addiction without harming our essential survival instincts.

Read moreDetails
Study explores psychological pathways from attachment style to love addiction
Addiction

Love addiction linked to memory and attention problems

June 30, 2025

Obsessive romantic attachment may be more than an emotional burden—it could also impair your thinking. A new study reveals that love addiction, especially when fueled by anxiety and social media use, is linked to memory problems and daily cognitive failures.

Read moreDetails
Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests
Hypersexuality

Frequent pornography use linked to altered brain connectivity and impaired cognitive performance

June 17, 2025

Researchers have found that individuals who frequently view internet pornography show distinct brain activity and diminished cognitive control. The study suggests that heavy use may impact emotional processing and executive function in ways that resemble patterns seen in substance addiction.

Read moreDetails
Psilocybin from “magic” mushrooms weakens the brain’s response to angry faces
Addiction

Single-dose psilocybin therapy shows promise for reducing alcohol consumption

June 15, 2025

Early results from a pilot study indicate that psilocybin-assisted therapy could be linked to lower alcohol consumption and improved psychological outcomes, though larger controlled trials are needed to determine whether the psilocybin itself is responsible for these changes.

Read moreDetails
New study on despair and voter turnout has troubling implications
Hypersexuality

Problematic porn use remains stable over time and is strongly linked to mental distress, study finds

June 14, 2025

A yearlong study of more than 4,000 U.S. adults found that problematic pornography use tends to persist over time and is strongly associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, suggesting a lasting link between porn dysregulation and psychological distress.

Read moreDetails
Poor sleep may shrink brain regions vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, study suggests
Addiction

Scientists map how alcohol changes bodily sensations

June 14, 2025

A new study suggests that people who feel fewer bodily sensations while intoxicated may be at higher risk for alcohol misuse. Using bodily maps and heartbeat tasks, researchers linked internal awareness to physiological effects and subjective feelings of intoxication.

Read moreDetails
New study maps psychological pathway from childhood abuse to adolescent addiction
Addiction

New study maps psychological pathway from childhood abuse to adolescent addiction

June 1, 2025

Researchers have identified a pathway linking childhood abuse to addictive behaviors in teens, showing that impulsivity and irritability help explain why early adversity increases the risk of smoking, alcohol use, and internet addiction.

Read moreDetails
Neuroscientists identify a reversible biological mechanism behind drug-induced cognitive deficits
Addiction

Estrogen curbs fentanyl intake by suppressing brain’s reward response

June 1, 2025

A new study in Neuron suggests that men may be biologically more vulnerable to misusing opioids like fentanyl in response to pain. The findings point to estrogen’s ability to suppress brain reward circuits and reduce drug use during chronic pain.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

New study finds link between sexism and denial of male victimhood in relationships

Viral AI-images highlight how Trump engages in “victimcould,” scholar argues

Breakfast habits are associated with depressive symptoms, study finds

Neuroscientists detect decodable imagery signals in brains of people with aphantasia

Loneliness predicts an increase in TV viewing for older women, but not for men

Othello syndrome: Woman’s rare stroke leads to psychotic delusions of infidelity

How to protect your mental health from a passive-aggressive narcissist

Dark personality traits linked to generative AI use among art students

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy