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Hypnotised by Your Phone? Smartphone Addiction Correlates With Hypnotisability
Jay A Olson1, Moriah Stendel2, Samuel Veissière1,3,4
1Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|July 17, 2020
Summary
Individuals highly susceptible to hypnosis (hypnotisability) also tend to exhibit higher levels of smartphone addiction. This suggests a link between absorption states and problematic phone use, potentially informing interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Hypnosis and heavy smartphone use share characteristics like absorbed states, time distortion, and automatic responses.
- Understanding the relationship between these phenomena can offer insights into behavioral patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between hypnotizability and smartphone addiction.
- To determine if individuals prone to hypnotic suggestion are also more likely to develop problematic smartphone usage patterns.
Main Methods:
- A pre-registered study involving 641 student-aged participants across 11 public lectures.
- Participants underwent hypnosis and subsequently completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale (Short Version).
Main Results:
- A small but statistically significant positive correlation was found between hypnotizability and smartphone addiction (r = .17, p < .001).
- This correlation was consistent across multiple samples and persisted in a follow-up study.
- Smartphone addiction scores in the Canadian sample were notably high compared to international averages.
Conclusions:
- Hypnotizability is a potential correlate of smartphone addiction.
- The findings suggest that shared psychological mechanisms, such as absorption and automaticity, may underlie both phenomena.
- Interventions targeting absorbed, time-distorted, and automatic smartphone use could promote healthier digital habits.
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