Addicted to your smartphone? You need to read this

Overusing your smartphone during the day can actually mean you have less fun in your leisure time.

That's according to new research published in the journal Computers in Human Behavio[u]r which looked at how 454 randomly selected undergraduate students used their phones.

It found three types of mobile phone users: low-use extroverts, low-use introverts and a high-use group. The high-use group were defined as those who used their phones for more than 10 hours a day - and the high use group had less fun in their leisure time and felt more anxious compared to the other two groups.

Researcher Dr Jacob Barkley of Kent State University explains this could be because those using their phones for more than 10 hours a day felt obligated to remain "constantly connected".

"In our previously published research, we found that high-frequency cell phone users often described feeling obligated to remain constantly connected to their phones. This obligation was described as stressful, and the present study suggests the stress may be spilling over into their leisure."

Their advice? Stay away from your smartphone, if you can. Dr Jian Li, who also worked on the study, says: "Being constantly connected to your phone is not likely to enhance your experience of leisure. On the other hand, disconnecting for short periods of time in order to seek more challenging leisure opportunities is likely to be beneficial."

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