The Research
Catch the Ghost is not a hot take. Every claim we make about attention, focus, and the cost of phones is backed by peer-reviewed research from psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics. Below are the studies we point to most often. Short summaries for now, deeper summaries coming soon.
For the neuroscience behind the app itself, see The Science behind Catch the Ghost.
Gloria Mark's foundational research established that after a single interruption, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully return to a task. Two decades of her follow-up work have also documented that average attention on any screen has fallen from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to roughly 47 seconds today.
Read the studyA pre-registered randomized controlled trial of 1,661 Facebook users. Four weeks off Facebook improved subjective wellbeing by 0.09 standard deviations, freed up roughly one hour per day, and led participants to keep using Facebook less long after the experiment ended. The most methodologically rigorous causal study of social media on wellbeing published to date.
Read the studyMeta-analysis of 71 studies and 98,299 participants across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Heavier short-form video use was associated with meaningfully worse attention (r = −.38) and inhibitory control (r = −.41). These effect sizes are roughly ten times larger than older "screen time" correlations from earlier generations of research.
Read the studyIn a controlled lab experiment with 166 participants, simply receiving a text or call notification, without ever looking at the phone, produced attentional lapses on par with actively using the device. The cost of a modern workday isn't checking your phone; it's owning one that can buzz.
Read the studyThe first peer-reviewed paper to operationalize doomscrolling as a measurable behavior. Across two samples totaling over 900 people, doomscrolling tracked with neuroticism, negativity bias, problematic social media use, and fear of missing out, and inversely with conscientiousness, self-control, and positive affect.
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If there is a study on attention, focus, or the effects of digital media that belongs on this page, please send it our way. We read everything.
CATCH THE GHOST®
