The presence of your smartphone reduces cognitive capacity even when you’re not using it. This isn’t about distraction from notifications or conscious urges to check. The phone’s mere visibility impairs performance on attention-demanding tasks through automatic processes you cannot consciously control. Research demonstrates this convincingly. People performed significantly worse on cognitive tests when the phone was visible on their desk compared to when the phone was in another room, despite the phone being silenced and face-down in both conditions. The visible phone consumed cognitive resources through the brain’s automatic monitoring processes. This effect is strongest for people most dependent on...