Digital Smarts - Is Your Phone Slowing Down Your Brain?

Just by having your smartphone next to you without even using it could slow down your brain, a recent study suggests. Researchers at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin conducted a study on nearly 800 people, looking at how they performed tasks when their devices were within hands reach. The scientists found that the mere presence of your smartphone, even if it is off, can reduce brainpower. The study could give some insight on why we cannot concentrate at work or school while our smartphones are laying in front of us at our desks, and may urge parents to make sure their children and teens put their phones out of sight when they are working on homework or other projects.