Does stress from cell phone use increase negative emotions at work?

I investigated how stress from work-related cell phone use can increase the negative emotions of anger and anxiety of employees, and identified the role of social influence in enhancing the effect of stress on emotions. Participants were organizational employees who actively used cell phones in their work (N = 222). Results indicated that information overload increased their negative emotions, and that the perceived usefulness of cell devices mitigated this effect. When social influence promoting work-related smartphone use was included in the stressor–strain model, however, the relationship between information overload and negative emotions was stronger when employees perceived greater usefulness of cell devices. Implications of the results are discussed.