Using your phone while doing other things makes your life more miserable, study finds

Independent.UK: Resear- chers in Canada found mobile phone use makes everyday activities like eating and socialising less enjoyable.
People who check their phones while eating or spending time with their friends are less likely to enjoy themselves, a study has found.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada found that mobile phone use is making people more distracted, distant and drained as a result of its pervasiveness in our modern lives.Even having a mobile phone within easy access during a meal is enough to make diners not enjoy the experience as much as those who keep their devices out of reach while they eat.As part of the study, 300 restaurant goers in Vancouver filled out a questionnaire after their meal that was designed to gauge their feelings of social connectedness, enjoyment, distraction and boredom.
The experiment required some participants to keep their phones on the table with sound notifications turned on, while the rest were told to put their handsets on silent and place them in a container.“People who were allowed to use their phones during dinner had more trouble staying present in the moment,” said the study’s lead author Ryan Dwyer, whose research was presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.“Decades of research on happiness tell us that engaging positively with others is critical for our wellbeing. Modern technology may be wonderful, but it can easily sidetrack us and take away from the special moments we have with friends and family in person.”