Motivations and Experiential Outcomes Associated with Leisure Time Cell Phone Use: Results from Two Independent Studies

Modern cellular telephones (cell phones) are ubiquitous and increasingly used for leisure purposes. This article identifies motivations for leisure time cell phone use and associated experiential outcomes. Concurring results from two independent studies are presented. Study 1 used qualitative methods and found that high versus low frequency cell phone users more often identified boredom relief as a motivation for leisure time cell phone use and negative affect (e.g., anxiety, irritation) as an outcome. Study 2 used validated scales and path analysis to confirm and expand the results of Study 1. Analysis demonstrated good model fit with all paths statistically significant. This suggested that high frequency cell phone users were more extrinsically and less intrinsically motivated for leisure, leading to increased leisure boredom which was positively associated with cell phone use and leisure distress; simultaneously, increased cell phone use was associated with increased leisure distress. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.