Remember when you'd walk through the Mall or maybe a restaurant or just down the street somewhere. You'd see that group of teenagers chatting, laughing, getting goofy...well, just being teenagers?

Now, you walk along and see teenagers looking at their smartphones. No laughing, not giggling, just...looking. And swiping. And texting.

Geez, they don't look very happy. In fact, they don't look anything. They just...look.

So aren't they happy? Well, apparently not as happy as when they'd actually hang around with friends instead of connecting with them through their phones.

According to a research study published in the journal Emotion adolescents who spent more time with electronic media were generally less happy and had lower self-esteem. The study also indicated these teens were less satisfied with their lives.

Meanwhile young folks who spent more time in sports, exercise, in person socializing (yep, hanging out at the Mall) and such were happier and had a higher sense of well-being.

The study says the trend is especially apparent for 8th and 10th graders.

So when you see someone walking around, head down, looking at their phone, does that mean they're unhappy? Not necessarily, but...

So maybe it was more fun, and unbeknownst to us, better for us when we actually sat in a restaurant booth talking, laughing and being loud instead of scrolling a mobile device?

Psychology Today Contributed To This Article


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