Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

The Simple Phone Habit That Can Quietly Make You More Anxious

Research suggests muting notifications can increase uncertainty and FOMO, causing some people to check their phones even more often.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Keeping your phone on silent feels responsible. You’re not letting every text, email, and random app notification boss you around all day. You’re protecting your mental health. In theory, anyway.

A 2022 Penn State study looked at screen-time data from 138 iPhone users and found that people checked completely silenced phones nearly twice as much as phones left on vibrate: 98.2 times a day versus 52.9. Among people with higher FOMO, the number climbed to about 120 checks a day. Study author S. Shyam Sundar said the issue is uncertainty. If you can’t hear or feel a notification, you’re left wondering whether something is waiting for you, and for........

© Vice