We investigated associations between personality traits and smartphone usage in daily life. 526 participants (mean age 34.57 years, SD = 12.85, 21% female) used TYDR (Track Your Daily Routine) for 48 days, on average (SD = 63.2, range 2 to 304). The Big Five Inventory 2 (BFI-2) was used to measure personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness). Using hierarchical linear models, we analyzed associations between personality traits and two indicators of smartphone usage: number of screen wakeups per day and session duration.
Results:
- Participants reached for a smartphone more frequently during weekdays with a shorter duration of usage compared to weekends.
- Younger people used their smartphones more often but with a shorter duration than older people.
- Female participants spent more time using smartphones per session than male participants.
- Extraversion and neuroticism were associated with more frequent checking of the phone per day while conscientiousness was associated with shorter mean session duration.
You can find our full article published in Digital Psychology here (PDF).
