Digital Detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

Thomas Wilcockson; Ashley Osborne; David Ellis

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002

Digital Detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

Thomas Wilcockson, Ashley Osborne, David Ellis

Management

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

18 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Whether behavioural addictions should be conceptualised using a similar framework to substance-related addictions remains a topic of considerable debate. Previous literature has developed criteria, which allows any new behavioural addiction to be considered analogous to substance-related addictions. These imply that abstinence from a related object (e.g. smartphones for heavy smartphone users) would lead to mood fluctuations alongside increased levels of anxiety and craving. In a sample of smartphone users, we measured three variables (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four occasions, which included a 24-hour period of smartphone abstinence. Only craving was affected following a short period of abstinence. The results suggest that heavy smartphone usage does not fulfil the criteria required to be considered an addiction. This may have implications for other behavioural addictions.

Original language	English
Journal	Addictive Behaviors
Volume	99
Early online date	4 Jun 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2019

Access to Document

10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002

Cite this

@article{0ae221e3c2a5416f80f53c85c4bdd679,

title = "Digital Detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving",

abstract = "Whether behavioural addictions should be conceptualised using a similar framework to substance-related addictions remains a topic of considerable debate. Previous literature has developed criteria, which allows any new behavioural addiction to be considered analogous to substance-related addictions. These imply that abstinence from a related object (e.g. smartphones for heavy smartphone users) would lead to mood fluctuations alongside increased levels of anxiety and craving. In a sample of smartphone users, we measured three variables (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four occasions, which included a 24-hour period of smartphone abstinence. Only craving was affected following a short period of abstinence. The results suggest that heavy smartphone usage does not fulfil the criteria required to be considered an addiction. This may have implications for other behavioural addictions.",

author = "Thomas Wilcockson and Ashley Osborne and David Ellis",

note = "This is the author{\textquoteright}s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Addictive Behaviors. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Addictive Behaviors, 99, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002 M1 - 106013",

year = "2019",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002",

language = "English",

volume = "99",

journal = "Addictive Behaviors",

issn = "0306-4603",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Digital Detox

T2 - The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

AU - Wilcockson, Thomas

AU - Osborne, Ashley

AU - Ellis, David

N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Addictive Behaviors. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Addictive Behaviors, 99, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002 M1 - 106013

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - Whether behavioural addictions should be conceptualised using a similar framework to substance-related addictions remains a topic of considerable debate. Previous literature has developed criteria, which allows any new behavioural addiction to be considered analogous to substance-related addictions. These imply that abstinence from a related object (e.g. smartphones for heavy smartphone users) would lead to mood fluctuations alongside increased levels of anxiety and craving. In a sample of smartphone users, we measured three variables (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four occasions, which included a 24-hour period of smartphone abstinence. Only craving was affected following a short period of abstinence. The results suggest that heavy smartphone usage does not fulfil the criteria required to be considered an addiction. This may have implications for other behavioural addictions.

AB - Whether behavioural addictions should be conceptualised using a similar framework to substance-related addictions remains a topic of considerable debate. Previous literature has developed criteria, which allows any new behavioural addiction to be considered analogous to substance-related addictions. These imply that abstinence from a related object (e.g. smartphones for heavy smartphone users) would lead to mood fluctuations alongside increased levels of anxiety and craving. In a sample of smartphone users, we measured three variables (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four occasions, which included a 24-hour period of smartphone abstinence. Only craving was affected following a short period of abstinence. The results suggest that heavy smartphone usage does not fulfil the criteria required to be considered an addiction. This may have implications for other behavioural addictions.

U2 - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002

DO - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.002

M3 - Article

VL - 99

JO - Addictive Behaviors

JF - Addictive Behaviors

SN - 0306-4603

ER -

Digital Detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

Abstract

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this