RESEARCHERS

The Science of Problematic Smartphone Use: Why It's Rarely About Willpower

3 the researchers behind it — "I just need more discipline" is the most common self-diagnosis for compulsive phone checking — and also the least useful one. Behavioral science tell

San Diego State University

Jean M. Twenge

Known for:Large-scale generational research on screen time, social media, and adolescent psychological wellbeing, including dose-dependent analyses from nationally representative U.S. samples

Key findings

2018
Analyses of U.S. nationally representative surveys found that adolescent screen time — including social media, electronic devices, and TV — associated with lower psychological wellbeing in a dose-dependent pattern: light users showed no significant negative associations, while heavy users showed the largest effects. ↗

Stanford University (Persuasive Technology Lab)

B. J. Fogg

Known for:Behavioral design research on how technology systems use variable reward schedules and motivational triggers to shape habitual and compulsive use patterns

Key findings

2019
Experimental research on smartphone notifications found that disabling non-essential push notifications significantly reduced checking frequency and improved focus — demonstrating that the notification environment, not device ownership per se, is the proximate driver of compulsive checking loops. ↗

Shiraz University

Cyrus Rahimi

Known for:Psychometric research on doomscrolling, including development and validation of the Doomscrolling Scale and its associations with personality traits, distress, and social media use patterns

Key findings

2022
The Doomscrolling Scale was developed and validated, measuring the tendency to continue consuming negative news despite experiencing negative emotional reactions. The scale associated independently with anxiety, hopelessness, and psychological distress after controlling for total social media time, with neuroticism and impulsivity as personality correlates. ↗

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