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Challenge 3: Drop the phone at dinner

Week two of Live A Better Life is all about challenging yourself.

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IT’S WEEK TWO of our Live A Better Life series, and it’s all about challenging yourself.

Yesterday, we tackled using our phone on our commute – by taking a break from it.

How did you get on? Would you do it again? Tell us in the comments.

Today, we’re looking at phones and meal times.

Looking at your phone during a meal has gone from being rude to fairly acceptable. Annoying, yes, but many people do it.

A quarter of Irish people use their phones when eating at home or out at a restaurant, according to Deloitte’s most recent consumer survey.

We asked our readers last week if they look at their phone during meals, and here’s what they said:

mealtimes phone aoife aoife

  • 35% (3098 people) said: Yes, but only if on my own
  • 20% (1851) said: Yes
  • 15% (1360) said: Sometimes
  • 14% (1301) said: Never
  • 13% (1210) said: Rarely

That’s a lot of people checking their phone.

shutterstock_485314003 Why look at your phone when there's delicious food to be eaten? Shutterstock / Photographee.eu Shutterstock / Photographee.eu / Photographee.eu

According to the Pew Research Center, checking your phone while eating with others can look rude.

88% of respondents to their survey said they believe it’s “generally” not OK to use a phone during dinner.

Meanwhile, a study from the University of Michigan found that:

people’s attitudes about whether or not you should be using a mobile phone at mealtimes depends heavily on what you are doing, and who else is at the table.
“These results are interesting because they challenge the idea that using your phone during a shared meal is categorically inappropriate. What we find is that attitudes are much more nuanced than that,” said Carol Moser, a doctoral student at the U-M School of Information and the study’s lead author. “A quick text or even phone call with your boss might be okay. Watching someone across the table thumb through their Facebook feed, that’s different.”

Do you agree?

So, for today’s challenge, we’re going to stay away from our phone while eating dinner.

Yes, just one meal. Whether you’re at home, with pals, or at a restaurant: put away that phone for the duration, and don’t be tempted to take a peek.

Let us know how you got on in the comments.

Live A Better Life: The series so far>

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8 Comments
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    Mute Hugh De Payans
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:15 AM

    The fees haven’t been scrapped. The taxpayers are now paying them.

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    Mute hard yaka
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:28 AM

    @Hugh De Payans: who else would you like to see oaykng then Hugh?

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    Mute eoin fitzpatrick
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:28 AM

    @Hugh De Payans: who else do you suggest pays for social services?

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    Mute Colette Byrne
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:55 AM

    @Hugh De Payans: must have private health Insurance, so.

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    Mute Kate Peters
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    Apr 17th 2023, 3:03 PM

    @hard yaka: what will happen is,the hospitals will only bring in private health care,and make it that way,and the ordinary taxpayer and medical cars holders,won’t be seen,they have a plan already set up,mark my words.

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    Mute matthew donoghue
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:32 AM

    Terrible idea, I think you should always pay something for a service even if it’s just ten euros.

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    Mute Ronan O'Keeffe
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:49 AM

    @matthew donoghue: Visitors paying for parking would easily be more than that…

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    Mute Sue OB
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    Apr 17th 2023, 6:59 AM

    @Ronan O’Keeffe: great idea, only problem is hospitals don’t get the money from hospital car parking fees, thats another thing to look at

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Apr 17th 2023, 11:53 AM

    @Sue OB: I didn’t realise that.

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    Mute Yvon Queguiner
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    Apr 17th 2023, 8:25 AM

    Some people spent too much time in the USA here. Of course public hospital should be 100% free with the amount of taxpayer money it is allowed each year.

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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Apr 17th 2023, 8:41 AM

    @Yvon Queguiner: the taxpayer is paying the lions share of it anyway. 80 euro per night is a drop in the ocean towards the actual cost of someones hospital stay, and that discounts everyone using a medical care and private/public insurance. I’m sure the 4 billion of usc a year will cover the government some people in here are so worried about being out of pocket.

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    Mute Declan Moran
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    Apr 17th 2023, 9:45 AM

    Now time to abolish hospital parking charges as was promised as part of the programme for government. Families have enough on their plates having someone in hospital without adding to the already stressful situation

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    Mute Paulco
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    Apr 17th 2023, 1:57 PM

    When the Elite have serious health issues they are off to the USA like a light! Irish healthcare is substandard. That’s the reality. Letting the government be in charge of any service results in lower quality.

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    Mute Kate Peters
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    Apr 17th 2023, 3:00 PM

    It’s easy scrap the fees,when people are on waiting list for years,Even private health insurance can not get u seen with in 2 weeks like it was before,but people who are on list with medical cards,God help them all,because the hospitals will def only see private health,to claw the money back,we need only think back to 2006,when the lies were told,and changed the health boards to the HSE,Mary Harney lied because the wanted hospitals closed in every County,it took a few years to see the damage,HSE has too much power,like the local Councils..they won’t answer even to the government

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