Researchers at the University of Queensland observed 26 people as they walked, both without a smartphone and with one. They noticed that participants who were texting walked more slowly, hunched their shoulders forward, and didn’t walk in a straight line.
Lead researcher on the project Siobhan Schabrun characterized the walk-and-texters as elderly robots.
“They lock their arms, trunk and head together all in aid of keeping the phone steady in front of their eyes,” she explained. “Previous studies on older populations shows that this type of more rigid posture puts you at greater risk of falling.”
So, um. Don’t walk and text. You’re going to hurt your back, and also your face, when you run into a telephone pole.
