The Importance of Automatic Attention

A recent study led by Adrian Ward from the University of Texas found that people's cognitive abilities declined in more or less direct proportion to the proximity of their phone. People performed the best when their phone was in a completely separate room, and they performed less well when it was nearby but hidden. In all of these instances, vibrations and sounds were completely turned off. And even more importantly, the study participants were not conscious of any impact on their performance.