The Zeigarnik Effect

When interruptions predominate, little work gets done, observes Paul Radde, Ph.D. author of Thrival. Radde says "Cell phone use is not just plain rude, it is mentally distracting and abusive to others. Cell phone use captures the brain's interest in completing the conversation, so whether the user is broadcasting or simply within earshot, the Zeigarnik effect kicks in. This is the same desire for closure that makes the effects of multi-tasking akin to the effects of post-traumatic stress."

The Zeigarnik effect is characterized by the tendency for people to remember interrupted tasks better than those that have been completed. "Once taken off one task, without completing the transaction," Radde observes, "the mind continues to seek closure. If you have a number of things going, but none of them to completion, you have these tensions tending toward completion -- and that is stress-provoking."

Interruptions and Productivity

Paul Radde, Ph.D. author of Thrival says "Cell phone use is not just plain rude, it is mentally distracting and abusive to others. Cell phone use captures the brain's interest in completing the conversation, so whether the user is broadcasting or simply within earshot, the Zeigarnik effect kicks in. This is the same desire for closure that makes the effects of multi-tasking akin to the effects of post-traumatic stress."

The Zeigarnik effect is characterized by the tendency of people to remember interrupted tasks better than those that have been completed. "Once taken off one task, without completing the transaction," Radde observes, "the mind continues to seek closure. If you have a number of things going, but none of them to completion, you have these tensions tending toward completion -- and that is stress-provoking."

It's not that you can't get things done with the use of a cell phone; indeed, you can get a lot of things done. However, the nature of what you get done is highly skewed. Just as the man with only a hammer sees everything as nails, the incessant cell phone user accomplishes a variety of tasks, understandably enough, that accrue directly to having a cell phone. In other words whatever can be handled by a phone call is more likely to be tackled than say a problem that requires solitude and abstract reasoning.

Sometimes this get-it-done kind of individual overdoes this stay-in-touch aspect of what he's trying to accomplish. How often do you need to stay in touch with your office? Would every 60 minutes do it, or would 45 minutes be better, or 30 better still? What kinds of new tasks and new responsibilities at work are you creating for yourself and others as a result of the constant communication and, need I say it, over-communication?

About That Appointment...

Before most of us began carrying cell phones, being on time for an appointment was the mark of a considerate person. Now, according to James Katz, a professor of communication at Rutgers, people are routinely using cell phones to remedy being late. Soon, no one will be on time!

Sane Cell Phone Use

As cell phones take over the earth, it's vital to remember that you control yours, and not vice versa. As often as you possibly can, keep your cell phone off and only use it for making outgoing calls or when you are expecting an important call from someone in particular. You really do not
want to be available to everyone all the time - that's a guarantee you won't even be able to think straight.

Don't freely give out your cell phone number, except to those you actually want to hear from such as loved ones, clients, and prospects. This should be a relatively small universe. If you can live without it, don't put your cell phone number on your business card, and don't advertise that you have one. People can call your office number and be assured that calls will be returned in a reasonable amount of time.

Jail Time for Cell Phone Drivers

An article in the London Telegraph by David Millward and Christopher Hope reports that "Motorists caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving could be jailed for two years under tough new guidelines issued today by prosecutors. Drivers who adjust sat-navs, tinker with MP3 music players such as iPods or send text messages at the wheel could also face prison sentences."

"Prosecutions will be brought if by using the equipment a motorist is judged to have posed a danger to other drivers, such as causing another car to swerve. Using a hand-held mobile while driving was outlawed in 2003, but it is estimated that half a million motorists flout the ban each day."

"Existing guidelines restricted prosecutors to pursuing only a charge of careless driving, for which the maximum fine is $10,000 along with up to nine points on a motorist's license. But under the new rules, drivers could be charged with dangerous driving, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail."


I has heartened to learn that U.K. police now check mobile phone records after road collisions to see if the driver was making a call. An excellent move and one that will help guard other people's Breathing Space.

Cell Phones ARE Dangerous

I've said it for years: talking on a cell phone demands your sharp attention and hence it is dangerous to employ a cell phone around vehicles. Now "indisputable" evidence confirms my observation. Steve Rubenstein in The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "A pedestrian apparently absorbed in a cell phone call was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in San Leandro today after he walked around a lowered crossing gate and onto the tracks."

"The victim, a man who was not immediately identified, was struck at 12:30 p.m. by a northbound Capitol Corridor train at the Alvarado Street crossing, about 8 miles south of the Oakland station... None of the 20 passengers or crew aboard the train was injured. That train and two others were delayed and another Capitol Corridor train was cancelled."

"Crew members aboard the Sacramento-bound train told authorities they saw the victim talking on the cell phone before he was struck, Graham said. The warning lights and gates at the crossing were functioning properly."

A Lessor Concept of Friendship

Today's students live in a hyper-accelerated communications culture and may actually have a diminished concept of friendship. This cheapening is typified by a type of cell phone banter that goes something like this: "Hey, what're you up to? ...I might catch up with you later."

The second phrase reveals quite a bit about the changing definition of friendship. The meaning translates to, "I'm not willing to commit my evening to you because I might end up with a better offer. However if I don't come up with anything else, I might be back in touch and you could become part of my evening."

How utterly dreadful.

Foolish Highway Games

NBC Channel 10 in Phildelphia recently reported that "New Jersey legislators pushed forward a plan to make it illegal to text message while driving. The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee voted unanimously to release the proposal after several legislators admitted frequently firing off text messages while behind the wheel, even though they know doing so is dangerous."

"Assemblyman Paul Moriarty acknowledges doing it himself, but he's not proud of it. 'It's very, very dangerous,' he said. Citing that risk, the Democratic assemblyman wants to stop motorists from sending text messages while driving."

"'It's more dangerous than talking on a cell phone because I believe you can keep your eyes on the road when talking on a cell phone,' Moriarty said. That's not the case when typing and sending text messages, he said. 'I only assume they're using their knees to drive,' Moriarty said."

Cell Phones Banned in Banks

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Cell phones have been banned inside the five branches of the First National Bank in the Chicago area, to enhance security. Even using a cell phone in the bank's lobby may result in the person being asked to leave the premises.

"We ban cell phone use in the lobby because you don't know what people are doing," Ralph Oster, a senior vice president, told the Chicago Tribune. Cell phone cameras are also a worry. Oster said there have been holdups in which bandits were on the phone with lookouts outside while committing bank robberies.

"You're trying to stop that communication," he says. Banks in Mexico City banned call phones in May and Citizens Financial Bank of Munster, Ind., asks customers to turn off their cell phones. West Suburban Bank, based in Lombard, Ill., barred customers wearing hats in January but has not moved to silence cell phones.

Cell Phone and Driving

No amount of mitigation will diminish the reality that driving and talking on the phone is not as safe as simply driving. The vendors of cell phones and other vehicle gadgetry will argue that speaking to others in the car, listening to the radio, or engaging in other such behavior is equally hazardous. This is not true in any respect because of a concept known as sharp attention.

You can only give your sharp attention in one basic direction. Listening to the radio or CD, or speaking with someone in the passenger seat does not pose the same risk. The reason is that your sharp attention can continue to be on the road, and as practical, you can give some attention to the radio, CD, and the passenger in the seat next to you. However, at any given moment, your driving takes precedence.

This is not the case with the use of the cell phone — concentrating on the conversation on someone at a distance and driving compete with one and another. If activist state legislators get their wishes, people who hold a cell phone to their ear while driving may soon find themselves talking to a judge. That's the message that could come from more and more states considering legislation that would ban the use of handheld, wireless phones while operating an automobile.

The legislative efforts come in response to an increase in cell phone use while driving, hands free or not, which some politicians say has led to more vehicle accidents. Momentum for this cause has been building ever since The New England Journal of Medicine published a study in February, 1997, titled: "The Association of Cell Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collisions." The article concluded that drivers talking on a cell phone are four times more likely to get into car accidents than those who aren't, and they are 11 times likely to die in an accident.

Multitasking in your car is not pretty. The message for readers: do not use a cell phone in your vehicle when the engine is on, and minimize conversation time with those who make such calls to you.

Cell Phone Blues

“The complaints are familiar and frequent.” says AP writer Juan-Carlos Rodriguez. “People on cell phones talk too loud, they use them at inappropriate times, and they just don't seem to care if they are bothering anyone. The horror stories are famous too. Cell phones at funerals. Cell phones at weddings. Cell phones in class. And of course, cell phones in restaurants.”

Based on data from the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, approximately 66% of Americans use a cell phone. So finding quiet is getting harder and harder since cell phone manners seem to be degrading by the minute.

“Traditionally quiet places like movie theaters, opera houses, orchestra halls and live theater venues are now compelled to remind patrons to turn off their cell phones or other devices before a performance,” says Rodriguez. “Washington's Metrorail system has put up signs discouraging inconsiderate talkers which say:

"Yes, we're all very interested in what you're having for dinner tonight" accompanied by a picture of a wide-mouthed Metro rider yelling into a cell phone. The second line says it all, "Please keep your phone conversations to yourself."

Worldwide cell phone jamming is all the rage. Mexican churches have installed short-range cell phone signal jammers to abusers who can’t control themselves during mass. Jamming is also popular in India, Japan, and France. In the United States, cell-phone jamming is currently illegal.

“While some are clamoring for cell phone restraint,” writes Rodriguez, “cell phone companies are lobbying the Federal Aviation Administration to permit cell phones on commercial airline flights. But in a poll by the Association of Flight Attendants and the National Consumers League 63 percent of respondents wanted to keep current restrictions in place.” Let’s us hope that this is one lobby that runs out of things to say.