How Texting While Walking Affects Your Body

by Anna Maltby

Lexie Moreland
Lexie Moreland

You've probably seen some studies about how walking and texting can be dangerous -- and now, there's a bit more info as to why. Writing and reading texts while walking alters your posture, balance and gait in ways that may leave you more vulnerable to accidents, according to new research published in the journal PLOS ONE.


The study found three main results:

* People who texted or read on their phone walked slower and deviated from a straight line. "This could potentially be a problem in high risk environments like walking near traffic or train tracks where people think they are walking in a straight line but are actually wandering in a different direction," study author Siobhan Schabrun, Ph.D., told SELF.

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* Texters tend to walk like robots -- they lock their arms, trunk and head in order to keep the phone steady in front of their eyes. "Previous studies, many in elderly populations, have shown that a more rigid posture can put you at greater risk of falling," Schabrun says.

* And last but not least: "We were surprised to find that 35 percent of our young, healthy participants reported a previous accident while texting on their phone, including trips, collisions with people or other obstacles, and falls," Schabrun says.

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And while these finds may seem a little obvious, let's get on it, y'all -- whip out your iPhone after you've finished your walk.

"If you need to text, pull over to one side, send your text, then keep walking," Schabrun says.

Plus, as Schabrun pointed out, this move is also less likely to drive your fellow pedestrians bananas. And what's worse than walking behind some slow texter, right?

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