Is your cell phone turning you into a jerk?

A new study by the men in white lab coats reveals what we have always suspected about people who spend too much time on their cell phones; it is turning them into jerks who don't care about the people around them.

Is Your Cell Phone Making You a Jerk?
Cell phones connect you socially, but they may also make you less socially minded.


Cell phones keep us socially connected, but new research suggests they actually reduce users’ social consciousness. In fact, the study showed that cell phone use was linked to more selfish behavior.

Researchers from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business found that after a short period of cell phone use, people were less likely to partake in “prosocial” behavior — actions that are intended to help another person or society — compared with a control group. For example, after using a cell phone, study participants were more likely to turn down volunteer opportunities and were less persistent in completing word problems, even though they knew their answers would provide money for charity.

The same drop in prosocial tendencies occurred even when participants were simply asked draw a picture of their cell phones and think about using them.

Time

The researchers speculate that there is only so much niceness and social connectedness inside each of us and, when its all used up, we go into jerkwad mode.

“[S]ocial connection is sort of like eating. When you are hungry, you seek out food. When you are lonely, you seek social connection. When the experience of social connection is elevated, we feel socially ‘full’ and have less desire to seek out other people and see them in a way that treats them as essentially human,” [says lead author Adam Waytz].

A similar psychology may affect our everyday interactions. “People talk about being overextended, having too many dinner dates, coffee dates, meetings. They feel depleted,” says Waytz. “We think this plays into our findings. Even though you are extremely socially connected, at some point, it comes at the expense of the ability to consider the full humanity of those around you.”

They say the feeling of belong to a group makes it easier to see folks outside our group as less than human and treat them like dirt. Scary stuff but, it makes sense when you think of how many people we classify as "sheeple" because we think they aren't "awake".

I'm not sure if I buy their explanation. I think it may have something to do with electronic gadgets draining our souls and making us more disconnected from other people because we lack the face to face interaction anymore but, what do I know, I'm just a paranoid conspiracy theorist right?

Yes, it is turning me into a jerk. Every damn time it rings. I am tired of being expected to answer the damn thing every time it rings. Remember the land line days if people did not answer their phone, the person just simply left a message to return the call and that was that. These stupid ass social niceties are pissing me off. But yet it is completely acceptable for some one to continuously call you back to back until you do answer. I wish cell phones would all blow the hell up.

I think that summed up my feelings about them.

Knee-jerk response: Doesn't this belong in the Pranks forum? It has that feel to it...

First impressions aside, I am of the firm belief that we are born jerks. Essentially, we are born without the "civility" of adults; hence, we are trained to not be 'jerks'. The only other explanation is that we are TAUGHT violence nowadays, but that doesn't answer for the moderate levels.

That means we are psychologically restrained from birth. Thing is, psychological restraint requires necessity...hence, we are all born jerks.

This cell phone thing is just scientists stabbing in the dark. They noticed a simple connection among the variables, and hypothesized...that's what they're paid to do.

Then the paranoids begin jumping all over it. Our main means of communication corrupts us? Is this the message you want us to hear? What are you trying to do?

Stop looking gift horses in the mouth. Last I knew, no one committed murder or dropped dead of cell phone radiation or whatever.

I thought this was going to be about how obnoxious people are, on their cellphones in public.

Like, stopping walking and talking, especially through door ways.

Stop yakking at the check out line.

Why are you discussing your medical diagnosis in the middle of macdonalds?

OMG makes me want to scream at people.

Though I have seen an improvement at the moview theater. But maybe that is because of the 14.00 ticket prices.

So I can kind of see what the researcheers are getting at.

Do I think people have social limits? No. I think people are diferent. Some people can't get enough of interaction, and people like me like it in small doses.

But I think people intentionally use it to disregard others. Just like I use my headphones to pretend I don't hear beggars.

Ha felt so good every day since I shut my personal mobile number 2 months ago.

I was a jerk long before the invention of the mobile phone.
It's genetic.

It's not the phones. It's texting, facebook, twitter and whatever else they use to disconnect from immediate social surroundings and immerse themselves in a virtual space.

I don't know about people becoming "jerks" because of cell phones (alone), but I do notice the lowering of attention spans of these people interacting with them in person. Some have 30 second attention spans, some as low as 4 seconds.

Cell phones don't turn these people into jerks - these people were already jerks and the cell phone just helped us all to realize it.

reply to post by Skewed


does your phone not have an off button ? its quite simple , if i don't want to be disturbed i just switch mine off .

Originally posted by N3k9Ni
It's not the phones. It's texting, facebook, twitter and whatever else they use to disconnect from immediate social surroundings and immerse themselves in a virtual space.

I think that's the best explanation so far. I think the guys who did this study used its results to prop up one of their pet theories.

I wonder if its the act of talking on the phone that makes people care less about other people or playing with all the damn apps that keeps them from even noticing that other people are even around?

reply to post by tom.farnhill


Sure it does and I do and have turned it off. But when I do that something else happens. People start calling my kids phones, or they hunt me down and find me, there is no escape. What makes it worse is some people will move the earth to find me, only to ask what I have been up to. If it gets too bad, and I am in the car, my phones have been known to take flying lessons out of the car window at 70 mph.

No it's not, probably cause I use it to the minimal even if it is also my internet navigation tool. I basically text very little, go on ATS and that sums it up. But I've been a jerk amany times before. We're all jerks in a way jerk is just a word. I prefer beek JERKy.

Peace out

*Checks the 'Jerk App' on his phone..*

Affirmative.

I'm a 100% jerk according to my phone.

Yes, I am.

My friends know my iPhone is attached to my hip, but I refuse to reply back to all texts...
So when I don't reply right away they think I'm being an @$$.

A lot of the cell phone obsessed women I meet are complete JERKS of the female persuasion. It's not just men.

They text, you text, they never want to pick up the phone, and when they do they're completely BORING A-Holes.

If a woman spends all day on her cell phone, and it's NOT business related, she's a waste of my time. I don't have patience for people who want to text their way through life and can't socialize or communicate through voice or in person. Chicks like that are so freaking stale and robotic AND it's a damn turnoff.

Ladies, turn off your F*****phones and learn to TALK to people and stop acting like idiots.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Q: Is your cell phone turning you into a jerk?
A: Maybe...

If I meet one more woman that wants to text me like a 12 year old, I swear I'm done.

Rules are, if you won't answer my call or return voice mail, yet you wanna text everything like you're on the female version of "Entourage", it's over before it started. I feel a lot of men should apply the same rule so the gene pool can be done with these chicks.

I mean, late 20's, 30s, even women I date in their 40s and 50s do it!

I'm sick of it. Pick up the phone and talk or lose my number....I'm serious.

I constantly brag about my new iphone 4s to my friend while using skype. I tell him that his poor image quality is due to the fact that he doesnt have an iphone and a lot of the troubles in his life are because he doesnt have an iphone, so yes i am a jerk

Originally posted by CALGARIAN
Yes, I am.


So when I don't reply right away they think I'm being an @$$.

Or get the...I did not hear back from you [after 5 minutes] and got worried that you were A) mad at me, or B) something is wrong with you.

GRRRRRR!!!!! Society sucks.