Brazilians spend nearly 4 years of their lives using cell phones, study reveals

Have you ever stopped to think about how much time you spend using your cell phone? A recent study conducted by the Ipsos Institute, at the request of Nubank Ultravioleta, revealed that Brazilians dedicate approximately 3 and a half years of their lives to using their cell phone. This impressive figure corresponds to 6% of all free time in life. Surprising, isn’t it?

But it’s not just mobile phones that consume our time. Research has also highlighted the impact of other screens, such as television and electronic games, which together take up 12% of adult life, the equivalent of 7 years. Let’s explore this data further and understand how we are allocating our time?

The impact of cell phones on the lives of Brazilians

The numbers speak for themselves and reveal a lot about our contemporary habits. The time spent in front of the TV or listening to the radio is equivalent to 2.9 years of our life, or 5% of our free time. Electronic games consume 1.8 years, or about 3% of our available time. And cell phones alone represent 6.4% of women’s free time and 5.9% of men’s free time in adult life.

It is interesting to see how entertainment technologies play a central role in our daily lives. However, this raises the question: are we neglecting other important activities in our lives?

In addition to screen use, the study also highlighted other aspects related to the use of free time. Sports, for example, only take up 4% of free time, or 2.2 years. Outdoor activities are even less present, representing 2% of this time, or about 1 year. Rest and leisure were indicated as responsible for 4% of free time, about 2.3 years, while religious activities take up 2%, or 1.2 years. Participation in events corresponds to just 1% of free time, for a total of 0.8 years.

Learn more about the Ipsos Institute study

To reach these conclusions, the Ipsos Institute conducted 1,500 interviews, both online and in person, with men and women over the age of 18 from different social classes in the five Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, Southeast, South and Center-West). Of the total, 52% were women and 48% were men.

Participants answered about 30 daily activities, classified into “free time” and “busy time.” They reported how much time they spent on each activity daily, weekly, or monthly, allowing for detailed analysis. The data were then expanded to represent an average life year for Brazilians and adjusted to correspond to 58 years of adult life.

This data reflects a significant insight into how we prioritize our daily activities. Livia ChanesCEO of Nubank, stressed to CNN the need to manage time well to make the most of what really matters. After all, with so much time spent on screens, perhaps it’s time to rethink our priorities and seek greater balance.