Does the Mere Presence of a Smartphone Impact Cognitive Performance? A Meta-Analysis of the “Brain Drain Effect”

A growing body of research investigates the general possibility that the mere presence of a smartphone might negatively impact cognitive performance, with some researchers posing the “brain drain” hypothesis which posits that smartphone presence will impair working memory capacity and fluid intelligence, but not sustained attention and response inhibition. To assess the strength of evidence for the claim that the mere presence of a smartphone can negatively impact cognitive performance, this study reports a systematic review and six meta-analyses (k = 56, n = 7093). Across cognitive functions, only a single statistically significant pooled effect was found. Working memory capacity was negatively impacted by the mere presence of a smartphone, while results for the remaining cognitive functions produced null summary effects. The analysis also finds that there is substantial methodological heterogeneity and generally poor statistical power in the domain. Overall, while the current meta-analysis provides limited support for a negative albeit smaller than theorized brain drain effect due to the mere presence of a smartphone, given methodological concerns, the extent to which the current body of literature can support or refute the hypothesis is limited.