Hongkongers as stressed out by a smashed smartphone as by sitting an exam, study finds

How would you feel if a scientist asked to borrow your smartphone for an experiment, only to drop it and break it in front of your eyes?

If you were stressed, then you’re not alone – participants in the study found seeing their phone smashed caused more anxiety than taking an exam or even public speaking.

It was part of a University of Hong Kong research project, sponsored by phone case company OtterBox, to determine how emotionally attached Hongkongers have become to their phones.

“We go through a lot of stress for major life events – divorce, family members passing away, but there are daily events which are known to be equally as stressful and are less studied,” says Tseng Chia-huei, an assistant professor in the university’s department of psychology who conducted the recent study.

To test stress levels of various events, participants were first told to complete a task while under pressure, then do a spot-the-difference test and engage in public speaking, before finally scientists asked them for their smartphone.

“Afterwards [scientists] prepared to hand back their smartphone but before they got their phone we actually dropped them in front of them, but it was actually a fake phone with a crack on the screen,” Tseng says.