Would you hand in your phone at the door in exchange for a free bottle of wine? One restaurateur has tried that – and there are now many other gambits that are encouraging us to connect
Good rules. My spouse and I have a pretty firm no phone rule when we are out to dinner. It seems rude to be there with someone and then just ignore them.
I don’t think I’ve ever formally discussed it with friends, I just remember reading somewhere that even just having a phone facedown on the table somewhere hurts conversation, so I make it a point to never bring it out. What others do is up to them.
Although if they’re texting/scrolling the entire time, I don’t think we’re gonna hang out again.
Does face down phone hurt the convo? I do it as a deliberate statement (like “no phones right now”), otherwise it will vibrate in my pocket and disturb me. If it’s on the table it feels better than pocket
To me:
Not in room > bag > face down on table > pocket > face up on table > in hand
I read somewhere that it does. Just by virtue of having a phone visible makes people think about scrolling. Let’s see if I can dig up where I read that…
On iOS I use Focus a lot, but for things like theaters, restaurants, etc. the standard Do Not Disturb is enough, and if you use your calendar a lot (like I do so I can tap events on CarPlay to navigate) it’ll give you the option to deactivate the Focus after the event ends, when leaving, etc.
Good rules. My spouse and I have a pretty firm no phone rule when we are out to dinner. It seems rude to be there with someone and then just ignore them.
I don’t think I’ve ever formally discussed it with friends, I just remember reading somewhere that even just having a phone facedown on the table somewhere hurts conversation, so I make it a point to never bring it out. What others do is up to them.
Although if they’re texting/scrolling the entire time, I don’t think we’re gonna hang out again.
Does face down phone hurt the convo? I do it as a deliberate statement (like “no phones right now”), otherwise it will vibrate in my pocket and disturb me. If it’s on the table it feels better than pocket
To me: Not in room > bag > face down on table > pocket > face up on table > in hand
I read somewhere that it does. Just by virtue of having a phone visible makes people think about scrolling. Let’s see if I can dig up where I read that…
Edit: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-brain-and-value/202103/the-psychology-of-the-face-down-phone
Note it’s psychology today, not the research itself. Throwing the link up while I dig further.
Wow that’s a really cool read. I guess I’ll try to find something else to do with my phone. Maybe hide it under a tissue box or something! Haha
Edit: we made it a game where we find fun and creative places to hide our phones when having coffee with mates
On iOS I use Focus a lot, but for things like theaters, restaurants, etc. the standard Do Not Disturb is enough, and if you use your calendar a lot (like I do so I can tap events on CarPlay to navigate) it’ll give you the option to deactivate the Focus after the event ends, when leaving, etc.