HPS307 AT 1 | Lab Report | The Role of Problematic Smartphone Use and Emotional Intelligence

The role of problematic smartphone use and emotional intelligence 1
HPS307 AT 1 LAB REPORT
Mariam Al Salem
217297199
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
WORD COUNT

The role of problematic smartphone use and emotional intelligence 2
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSU AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Abstract
This paper explores whether there exists any relationship between Problematic
smartphone use and Trait Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is an aspect of every
person’s life and part of an individual’s personality. A high percentage of individuals use their
phones daily whereas in Australia, this has become habitual making it have negative impacts to
the emotional intelligence of people. Early studies by Horwood & Anglim, (2018) and Van
Deursen, Bolle, Hegner, & Kommers, (2015) found no any relationship between PSU and
Emotional intelligence. The need for more research arose after researchers argued that wrong
scales were used to measure the variables of interest by these two scholars. To investigate
whether there lies any relationship between these two variables, research was carried out
research in Deakin University. The research involved 1443 students where survey method was
used to collect data. The students completed two personality surveys on the 50 item IPIP NEO
and the 100 item HEXACO PI after accessing the survey link, read the PLS and filled in the PSU
and TEI surveys. Data analysis was then done by the teaching team and a Pearson’s correlation
was conducted to carry out investigation on the relationship between TEI and PSU. According to
this study, there is a correlation that exists between Problematic Smartphone Use and Emotional
intelligence.

The role of problematic smartphone use and emotional intelligence 3
HPS307 AT 1 LAB REPORT
The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which Problematic Phone Use by individuals
use (PSU) is related to both personality and emotional intelligence (EI). To closely examine this
issue we will investigate whether trait emotional intelligence (TEI) is related to PSU. Recently,
research into the use of smartphone technologies and its impact on everyday functioning has
increased dramatically. It has heavily impacted social life, businesses, health, and various other
sectors. Efficiency in businesses has been enabled through continuous communication amongst
the senior Staff, the junior staff and even the distributors. Teleconferencing has been enabled
through the use of smartphones amongst the staff of businesses or between partners of various
businesses. This has led to cost reduction and saving of time in business premises.In health,
portable internet-enabled devices and smartphones are consistently used for real-time data
collection and distribution of online therapeutic programs. Smartphone use can have a positive
impact on people including supporting people with mental health concerns by providing apps
and programs that encourage mindfulness, peer network and therapeutic videos. It is evident that
88% of the Australian population own a smartphone, 94% of which are adolescents. On average,
Australian households currently have 9 internet-connected devices. It is estimated that 35% of
Australians do frequent phone checking 5 minutes after they wake up. 47% of females indicated
that they use their mobile phones ‘too much’ compared to males at 36%, ("Deloitte finds
smartphone users receptive to biometrics for payments," 2014).46% of people indicated that they
constantly need to check their phones while70% check their phones during meals with family
and friends. Australians population check their phones 35 times per day on average ("Deloitte
finds smartphone users receptive to biometrics for payments," 2014). Another research in UK
telecommunications regulator ofcom shown that 37% of adults and 60% of teenagers are highly

The role of problematic smartphone use and emotional intelligence 4
addicted to their smartphones.51% of adults and 65% of teens use their smartphones for
socialization purposes while 23% and 34% of adults and teens respectively use their smartphones
at meal times .22% and 47% teens and adults respectively use their smartphones while in
bathroom, ("(PDF) Impact of Smartphone's on Society," 2013).
PSU is explained by obsessive use of devices that results in impaired daily functioning in
reference to productivity, physical health, social relationships and emotional wellbeing
(Problematic Smartphone Use and Relations with Negative Affect, Fear of Missing Out, and Fear
of Negative and Positive Evaluation, 2018). Although the causal direction is not yet clear,
research has explored various individual differences that prompt people participate in PSU,
(Lopez-Fernandez, 2019). PSU has shown links with a range of outcomes from the Big 5
personality factors which include openness, neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and
conscientiousness, (Widiger, 2017). Behavioral addiction is a mental health condition displayed
by a person engaging in a certain irresistible behavior repeatedly irrespective of the impact of
their behavioral actions, ("What is Behavioral Addiction?," 2019). These addictive behaviors
cannot be controlled and after a person engage in them they feel relieved in terms of pleasure or
pain but there are their treatment options. There are very many negative impacts of problematic
Smartphone usage. These impacts are social, physical, financial and psychological which include
sleep issues, ruined relationships, dented communications, among others (Yıldız Durak, 2018)
Problematic Smartphone usage has led reduced emotional intelligence. Emotional
intelligence is the ability of a person to identify his/her emotions and regulate them as well as the
emotions of other people, (Allen, 2014). Too much concentration on mobile phones accessing the
internet for games, chats and other tasks has made people slaves of their own selves in that their
devices have become their everything, (Roberts, Pullig, & Manolis, 2015). Roberts explained the