Researchers at the University of Winnipeg have concluded that if you text a lot, you may not be a very nice person. Two psychology professors, Paul Trapnell and Lisa Sinclair, say a three-year study of 2,300 students makes them think this is true. “The values and traits most closely associated with texting frequency are surprisingly consistent with (scientific) conjecture that new information and social-media technologies may be displacing and discouraging reflective thought,” Trapnell said. It has to do with a replacement by texting of “important moral aesthetic, and spiritual goals, and greater importance on wealth and image.” Text more than 100 times a day and you’re 30 per cent less likely “to feel strongly that leading an ethical, principled life was important,” the data told Trapnell and Sinclair. “Higher texting frequency was also consistently associated with higher levels of ethnic prejudice,” said the study. This awful news does not extend to reading The South Bayview Bulldog however.
