There is always that one friend that takes countless selfies and documents every moment that appears to be Instagrammable when visiting a new place or doing a cool activity. They are the types of people who take the saying "pics or it didn't happen" seriously, make their friends wait before digging into brunch because they have to Instagram the food first, and watch live concerts through their smartphone screen as they record every song.
Many people may believe that these are exactly the types of people who need to learn to put their phone down — and live in the moment. But think twice before giving some side eye to these people because this is actually what they are doing.
According to a new study published earlier this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, taking photos helps make people enjoy the moment more.
Researchers from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business conducted a series of nine experiments featuring 2,000 participants both in the lab and in the field to test the level of enjoyment people experienced when they couldn't take pictures and when they could.
The experiments involved participants at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, a simulated safari, on a bus tour and at a museum. In each experiment, some were encouraged to use the cameras they were equipped with while others were asked not to. The researchers found that those who took photos had a more enjoyable time and were happier than those who didn't.
For example, in the bus tour experiment, participants who took photos reported to have enjoyed the experience much more than the control group who could only observe the sights. In the museum experiment, those with cameras paid more attention to artifacts than those who couldn't snap — an observation found by data from eye-tracking glasses given to the participants. Those who got to take pics while eating at the farmer's market were more immersed in their meal and happier than those who didn't, whereas those who didn't take photos during the safari were more depressed about watching lions eat a water buffalo than those who captured the scene.
The logic behind the findings makes perfect sense. When a person is taking photos they are focused on the activity and capturing the moment in order to remember it and share what a great time they were having. Being more engaged in a moment then helps enhance the enjoyment of the experience.
Interestingly enough, the same outcome applies when just thinking about taking a photo, so feel free to take mental images when whipping out a smartphone isn't allowed or appropriate.
This study might make social media lovers assume they have the green light to post away, but using a smartphone to do things like post a photo on Instagram takes away the user's attention to the moment, so the findings do not apply in this scenario. Instead, take all the photos during the activity, event or meal and then post later when it's over.
Source: Time
Photo: Susanne Nilsson | Flickr
