Predictors of Pathology Smartphone Use: Reward Processing, Depressive Symptoms, and Self-Control

The widespread adoption of smartphones that allow us to work, engage with friends and family, and pursue leisure activities has been associated with the emergence of pathological smartphone use wherein individuals experience anxiety and depressive symptoms when separated from their devices and may be more likely to engage in risky behavior while using their phone. Consistent with the broader literature on behavioral addictions, smartphone pathology is associated with increased depressive symptoms and decreased self-control. The current study builds upon a foundation of evidence from studies of pathological technology use including video games, the Internet, and social media to explore the association between the neural correlates of reward processing and smartphone pathology, depressive symptoms, and self-control. Our findings reveal that greater levels of smartphone pathology are associated with decreased neural activity related to the processing of both gains and losses when the individual is the agent of choice in a simple gambling task. Additionally, we replicate the association between depressive symptoms, self-control and smartphone pathology; and further demonstrate that reward processing represents a unique predictor of pathology beyond any shared association with depressive symptoms and self-control

Smartphone Pathology, Agency and Reward Processing

Smartphones have become ubiquitous in society; for instance, 81% of Americans report they own at least one device. Along with an increase in smartphone use, there is growing concern surrounding the pathological use of these devices. Pathological smartphone use is associated with elevated anxiety, sleep disturbance, and increased impulsivity. Given these concerns, the current study examined the relationship between pathological smartphone use and the neural correlates of reward processing in a college-aged sample. The amplitude of neural activity elicited by gains and losses was negatively correlated with pathological smartphone use when individuals were the choice agent, but not when a computer was the choice agent. These data reveal that overlapping neural systems may contribute to pathological technology use and other forms of addictive behavior and substance abuse

Predictors of problematic smartphone use: The role of reward processing, depressive symptoms, and self-control

The widespread adoption of smartphones has been associated with the emergence of problematic smartphone use. Problematic smartphone use is consistently associated with increased levels of depression and lower self-control, and pathological technology use more generally may be associated with reduced activity in the reward system, an effect that is also observed in depression and with poor self-control. The current study sought to examine the association between problematic smartphone use and event-related potentials (ERPs) related to reward processing, and to determine whether reward processing, depressive symptoms and self-control have shared or unique influences on problematic smartphone use. The sample was drawn from a university student population (N = 94, age M = 19.34, SD = 1.23 years, 67 female, 25 male, 1 gender non-conforming, 1 unidentified). Participants performed a gambling task while EEG was recorded and completed measures of smartphone pathology, depressive symptoms and self-control. The ERP data revealed that increasing problematic smartphone use was associated with reduced ERP amplitude for gains and losses when individuals were the agent of choice, but not when the computer chose. This may reflect a selective association between problematic smartphone use and neural prediction errors. Regression analyses revealed that reward processing, depressive symptoms and self-control were predictors of problematic smartphone use, possibly revealing multiple pathways to problematic smartphone use