Psychological Factors and Effects of Smartphone Addiction: a Systematic Review

The advent and development of new technologies around the world have turned the use of smartphones into an essential part of human life. But in spite of its positive aspects, the overuse and addiction to this new tool have become an important subject. Smartphone addiction can affect many aspects of one’s life. In the present study, we collected 512 scientific studies by searching the keywords “psychological effects of smartphone addiction” and “psychological factors of smartphone addiction” invalid external and internal information resources within the time range of 2000-to 2021. After evaluating the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 35 qualified articles were included in the final review. The studies on this topic were classified into two groups: psychological effects of smartphone addiction and psychological factors of smartphone addiction. With respect to psychological effects, studies mainly show negative effects such as depression, anxiety, stress, reduced learning, reduced productivity, low self-esteem, etc. In relation to psychological factors studies focus on factors such as neuroticism, openness, low conscientiousness, low agreeableness, depression, anxiety, low self-control, dysfunctional impulsivity, loneliness, etc. The review of these studies shows that the phenomenon of smartphone addiction has substantial psychological effects and thus it is necessary to devise a plan to prevent and intervene in this destructive phenomenon according to its psychological factors.