Home is just a phone away: Mobile phones and severity of social pain experiences

Abstract

As personal mobile phone ownership approaches ubiquity, the devices are coming to play increasingly central roles in our social lives. Though considerable research has been conducted on the psychological impacts of mobile phone ownership and usage, much remains to be investigated. The current research assessed the impact of the presence and absence of personal mobile phones on a fundamental negative experience: social pain. Based on prior findings on the pain-reducing effects of photographs of loved ones (Master et al., 2009) and the role of mobile phones in enhancing feelings of belongingness (e.g. Walsh, White, & Young, 2009), we hypothesized that the presence of a personal mobile phone would reduce the intensity of a social pain experience. Results were mixed, with reduced social pain reported with phones present relative to absent but no observed effect on need-threat. While confirming the exact nature of the effect is not possible with present data, this research provides further evidence of the powerful influence personal phones can have on social experience.