Distracted Cell Phone Users Miss the Clowns
October 24, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
By now you know that driving while talking on the phone is dangerous, but is walking and phone talking also a dangerous combo?
It just may be, especially if you’re maneuvering around busy streets. Either way, phone talkers who are walking around are distracted. They’re so distracted, in fact, that many of them failed to notice a clown on a unicycle riding past them on the street!
Yes, someone actually used a clown riding a unicycle in a study. The study on inattentional blindness, conducted at Western Washington University, is published in Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Results revealed that a mere 25% of cell phone users noticed the unicycling clown riding past them. Cell-phone free walkers noticed the clown more than 50% of the time. The cell phone proved to be more distracting than listening to an ipod or walking with someone else.
It’s not just the failure to notice the clown that’s concerning here. Cell phone users also had trouble just walking around! They weaved more often and walked more slowly. They changed direction a lot and rarely acknowledged people around them.
In essence, it sounds like talking on a cell phone while attempting to walk around in public may be not only dangerous, but also quite rude. Plus, this study should make anyone think twice about driving while talking on a phone.
What are your thoughts?
(Image via stock.xchng)
