One hour less of the average three and a quarter hours we spend on our smartphones every day contributes to our mental health. But it also makes us happier and has a motivating effect on our work and therefore our own productivity. This has now been shown in a study by the German Centre for Mental Health at Ruhr University Bochum. The researchers report in the journal Acta Psychologica from 14 September 2024.

Bochum, September 17th, 2024 – For companies that attach great importance to the health of their employees and invest a lot of money in the job satisfaction and motivation of workers and employees, the study can be a key factor. ‘These factors are important for the productivity of a company,’ explains Julia Brailovskaia.

In a group comparison, the sports group was able to increase their physical activity by 30 minutes. While other comparison groups in the field test did not change their habits. A subsequent questionnaire led to the result that job satisfaction and motivation, work-life balance and mental health had improved significantly. Overall, it was found that depressive symptoms decreased and the feeling of control increased measurably.

‘A deliberate and controlled reduction in non-work-related smartphone usage time, combined with more physical activity, could improve employees‘ job satisfaction and mental health,’ summarises Julia Brailovskaia. The researcher sees these interventions either as a possible addition to established training programmes or as an independent, time- and cost-efficient, low-threshold programme.

Original publication:

Julia Brailovskaia, Jakob Siegel, Lena-Marie Precht, Sophie Friedrichs, Holger Schillack, Jürgen Margraf: Less Smartphone and More Physical Activity for a Better Work Satisfaction, Motivation, Work-Life Balance, and Mental Health: An Experimental Intervention Study, in: Acta Psychologica, 2024, DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104494, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000169182400372X?via%3Dihub

PictureSource: © RUB, Marquard

Description: On average, we spend over three hours a day looking at our smartphones.