Ninety-Four Percent of People Said They Have a Better Night Out When They Make This Small Change

If you're anything like us, your phone is like a fifth limb. But, a new study has shown that putting it away could significantly improve your night out.

As part of their 'Switch to pub mode' initiative, Guinness conducted research to delve deep into the impact of our smartphone use on our social lives - and the results were really interesting.

A whopping 94% of people surveyed said that they enjoyed a night as much or more when they put the phone down.

The study, carried out by Guinness, was conducted over two separate Thursday nights out, which both had all the same conditions (venue, barman, people etc) EXCEPT that on the second night the group were asked to put their phones away.

The results showed a dramatic positive shift on the second Thursday when phones were not in use.

Richard Layte, Head of Sociology at Trinity College and scientific advisor for the study, said, “Phones can both enhance and erode our sociability; on the one hand smartphones enable us to connect and share updates with friends but they can also distract us and draw us away from the here and now when we’re with friends and family.

"The findings from this study are scientific evidence that if we put our phones down when we meet with friends and family, we not only enjoy the experience more but also feel closer to them and have a greater sense of belonging.”

Speaking today, Annmarie Phillips, On-Trade Channel Director, Diageo said; “‘We all rely on our phones to organise meeting up with friends and have fun recording our nights out and there is no doubt that our phones are extremely useful devices.

"The study provides fascinating insight into our relationships with phones in social settings and the phones’ impact on the social group dynamic.

"Switching to Pub Mode is about enjoying those conversations with good friends and letting the chat flow for that little bit longer with your phones down and heads up. The research demonstrates that people certainly enjoy the night more when we give our phone a rest."

‘Switch to Pub Mode’ has already been welcomed by over 1000 publicans around the Island of Ireland who see it as a positive move and will be providing some great Guinness offers over the course of the campaign

Across the participating pubs, Guinness will roll out specially created ‘bean bags’ for phones as well as ‘phone stackers’ because phones need a break too!