Smartphone Use and Exercise Characteristics

Hedonic smartphone use, or playing with a mobile device, is linked to Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU). This study examined how exercise practices, such as frequency, duration, and perceived intensity, relate to hedonic and utilitarian (sports- and work-context) smartphone use. Regularly exercising adults (360, 132 men, M age = 39.0±9.8, M weekly exercise = 5.8±1.9) volunteered for the study and provided demographic information about their exercise and smartphone use habits. Results showed that exercise characteristics affected the total daily smartphone use, with perceived exercise intensity having a negative effect. Moreover, exercise frequency and duration (but not intensity) positively affected sports-related smartphone use, which was inversely related to hedonic use. Therefore, exercise practices affect daily smartphone use and indirectly affect hedonic use by promoting utilitarian use. The current results may account for the inverse relationship between regular exercise and PSU. Further research on testing the mechanism by which exercise lowers hedonic smartphone use is needed.