Managing Digital Notifications and Stress: Evidence from a Hybrid Laboratory and Field Study on Cognitive Load, HRV, and Well-being
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64780/msl.v1i1.110Keywords:
Digital Notifications, Stress Management, Cognitive Load, Heart Rate Variability, Digital Well-beingAbstract
Modern stress is suspected to be caused by constant digital notifications and fast task switching but causal data and applicable solutions are still in pieces. Our study is a hybrid study (A) (N=120) a laboratory experiment (randomization) comparing constant (control) and 15-minute batch notification (group) participants completing single- and dual-task blocks (2-back, Stroop, SART, email triage); and (B) a 14-day A-B-A field study (N=100) of a pragmatic bundle-system Focus/Do-Not-Disturb with a priority allow-list, batched releases, two daily 50-minute focus blocks, and scheduled email Constant notifications at the lab raised workload (NASA-TLX), decreased RMSSD, and worsened accuracy, and bigger penalties were raised in the case of the dual-task demand. Intervention, in the field, decreased the rate of notification (~50%), decreased EMA stress (~6.5 points) and enhanced morning RMSSD (~5-6 ms); all of which recovered partially on washout. Multilevel models demonstrated dose-response associations between notification rate, stress and HRV; within-person mediation was in a relationship with interruptions -cognitive load -stress pathway. There was greater higher media multitasking benefits, smaller benefits from higher self-control, and greater benefits from FoMO and trait anxiety. The results justify the use of a stratified process in form of device defaults, workflow organization and team norms to harmonize the ecology of notification with attentional boundaries of humans.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Husnain Mukhdoom, Joseph A. Villarama
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