A study sent groups of friends and relatives to eat at a café and asked half to keep their phones on the table. Those diners used their phones for only about a tenth of the meal, yet still reported enjoying the experience less, feeling more distracted and being slightly more bored than diners who put their phones away.
A phone on a café table rarely looks like a decision. It looks practical. Someone might call. The map, payment app and family group chat all live in the same rectangle, so placing it beside the cutlery can feel no more significant than putting down your keys. I understand that in…