Technology's Impact on Mental Well-Being: The Emerging Insights in the Digital Age

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, UK
Interests: cyberpsychology; video games; social media; Instagram; VR

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Guest Editor
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
Interests: social and embodied psychology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement of technology has brought with it changes that have impacted society at all levels.  The way we interact with others, learn, and play has been transformed by the ubiquitous presence of smartphones, personal computers, and the Internet.

Despite this, there is often the impression in society that technology has failed to deliver its expected utopia. Myriad problems are mentioned that are concurrent with technological advancement. Despite our always-on interconnectivity, reported loneliness is at an all-time high.  There are concerns with technology addictions and problematic Internet use. Social media can lead users to unfavourably compare themselves to the people they see and “follow”. Issues with cyberbullying have caused tragedy to play out amongst school-aged children, with victims unable to escape their tormenters.

These are all salient issues. However, modern technology has also improved our lives beyond measure. We can now speak to friends on the other side of the world in an instant, and book tickets to visit them on our phone whilst we wait in the doctor’s office. The recent surge in interest for Virtual Reality and AR mean that people who struggle to walk down the street can “visit” new countries, and have experiences that would not have been possible 10 years ago. 

Psychological research has shown the benefits of technology. My own work has shown that playing video games with others via the Internet can reduce prejudice between two groups of people.  Others have shown that technology can help people relax, exercise, and meet new people. 

This Special Issue will explore the positive aspects of technology and its impact on mental health. Researchers are encouraged to submit papers that focus on the benefits of technology, and how it can improve our physical and mental well-being. We welcome original articles (quantitative analysis, both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies) and systematic review works. It is hoped that, with this approach, we can present a more optimistic view of modern society, and the promises that technology presents us with. 

Dr. Chris Stiff
Dr. Liam Cross
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • technology
  • internet
  • smartphone
  • computer
  • video games
  • apps
  • well-being
  • mental health
  • happiness

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 854 KiB  
Article
“Phone in the Room, Mind on the Roam”: Investigating the Impact of Mobile Phone Presence on Distraction
by Andrea Christodoulou and Petros Roussos
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2025, 15(5), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15050074 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 416
Abstract
In the digital age, mobile phones significantly impact human cognition and behavior. This experimental study examined the effects of passive mobile phone presence on attentional control in young adults aged 18–25. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (no phone) or an experimental [...] Read more.
In the digital age, mobile phones significantly impact human cognition and behavior. This experimental study examined the effects of passive mobile phone presence on attentional control in young adults aged 18–25. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (no phone) or an experimental group (phone present). Attention control was measured using the Attention Network Test (ANT). In contrast, smartphone nomophobia and addiction were measured with the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Contrary to previous literature, the presence of a mobile phone did not significantly distract participants or impair attentional performance. No significant relationship emerged between self-reported levels of distraction or nomophobia and actual attentional performance, although smartphone addiction seemed to have a weak effect on the errors made by those who performed in the presence of their mobile phone. Significant gender differences were found in terms of nomophobia, with women reporting higher levels than men. This study suggests that the relationship between mobile phone presence and attentional processes is more complex than previously hypothesized, bringing the existing literature under further consideration. Full article
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11 pages, 1606 KiB  
Article
The Moving Mandala: Exploring the Pro-Social Effects of Musical and Non-Musical Synchrony in Children in a Virtual World
by Liam Cross, Narcis Pares, Olga Gali, Sena Beste Ercan, Batuhan Sayis, Pamela Heaton and Gray Atherton
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2025, 15(3), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15030039 - 19 Mar 2025
Viewed by 315
Abstract
Synchronous movement between individuals has been shown to increase pro-sociality, such as closeness and generosity. To date, synchrony research tests these effects using a variety of movement tasks, including musical and non-musical coordination. However, musical versus non-musical synchrony may have separable pro-social effects. [...] Read more.
Synchronous movement between individuals has been shown to increase pro-sociality, such as closeness and generosity. To date, synchrony research tests these effects using a variety of movement tasks, including musical and non-musical coordination. However, musical versus non-musical synchrony may have separable pro-social effects. To test this, we had 60 children immersed in an augmented reality space called the ‘Moving Mandala’ where they moved asynchronously with only visual cues, synchronously with only visual cues or synchronously with musical and visual cues. We then tested for differences in pro-social effects using sharing and proxemics tasks. Results showed that while the synchrony version of the mandala led to greater closeness in the proxemics task, the musical synchrony led to more pro-sociality on the sharing task. The implications of these findings are discussed. Full article
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