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Brain & Nervous System

Electroencephalographic, personality, and executive function measures associated with frequent mobile phone use

No Effects Found

Arns M, Van Luijtelaar G, Sumich A, Hamilton R, Gordon E · 2007

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Frequent mobile phone use causes subtle brain activity changes within normal ranges, with users showing better executive function.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers analyzed brain activity patterns in 300 people based on their mobile phone usage frequency, measuring brain waves and cognitive function. They found subtle slowing of brain activity in frequent phone users, though these changes remained within normal ranges. The study also showed that heavy phone users had better executive function, possibly due to practicing focused attention during calls in distracting environments.

Study Details

To study the electroencephalographic, personality, and executive function measures associated with frequent mobile phone use

The present study employs standardized data acquired from the Brain Resource International Database ...

The findings suggest a subtle slowing of brain activity related to mobile phone use that is not exp...

Cite This Study
Arns M, Van Luijtelaar G, Sumich A, Hamilton R, Gordon E (2007). Electroencephalographic, personality, and executive function measures associated with frequent mobile phone use Int J Neurosci. 117(9):1341-1360, 2007.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2007_electroencephalographic_personality_and_executive_2737,
  author = {Arns M and Van Luijtelaar G and Sumich A and Hamilton R and Gordon E},
  title = {Electroencephalographic, personality, and executive function measures associated with frequent mobile phone use},
  year = {2007},
  doi = {10.1080/00207450600936882},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207450600936882},
}
DOI: 10.1080/00207450600936882

Cited By (32 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2007 study of 300 people found subtle slowing of brain activity in frequent mobile phone users. However, these brain wave changes remained within normal physiological ranges and don't indicate health problems or cognitive impairment.
Research shows heavy mobile phone users actually demonstrated better executive function than light users. Scientists believe this reflects a cognitive training effect from frequently making calls in distracting environments, requiring more focused attention.
No, personality differences don't explain the brain activity changes seen in frequent mobile phone users. The 2007 study found subtle brain wave slowing was directly related to phone usage patterns, not individual personality traits.
Brain wave slowing from mobile phone use isn't dangerous. The changes detected in frequent users remained within normal physiological ranges, indicating no health risk or cognitive impairment despite the measurable differences in brain activity.
Researchers analyzed brain activity patterns in 300 people based on their mobile phone usage frequency. This large sample size allowed scientists to measure subtle brain wave changes and cognitive function differences between heavy and light users.