They're defying the smartphone tidal wave with flip phones firmly gripped in their hands.
They are the people who are do not feel the need to stay on email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 24/7. They are the people who are not interested in smartphones, thank you very much.
Going back to old-school "dumbphones" is now a hip trend and provides people with a way to disconnect.
Dave Meyer is a professor in the University of Michigan Department of Psychology, where he directs the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory. He says in the age of smartphones and constant connectivity, the question is whether we are being smart in how we use smartphones.
"Smartphones can be exploited to improve the quality of your life ... And, it can have downsides as well. In particular, if you become addicted to your phone and you're constantly checking it in a sub-optimal way, in effect what you're doing is imposing on yourself a whole bunch of other tasks which are breaking your concentration from focusing on other, perhaps more important tasks."
Meyer says interruptions by trivial tasks can cost up to 200% in efficiency lost.
"The fact of the matter is, nobody [using smartphones] is immune to these deficiencies ... You need to formulate for yourself a set of strategies – for example, setting aside blocks of time when you need tasks done. Turning your phone off, putting it away where it's not there staring at you in your face attracting you to deal with it," Meyer says.
*Listen to our conversation with Dave Meyer today on Stateside at 3 p.m. We'll post the audio around 4:30 p.m.
