Unraveling Digital Behavior: A Network Analysis of Personality Traits, Category-Wise Smartphone App Usage, and Inferred Sleep Patterns

Purpose: Various studies have established a strong connection between excessive smartphone use, personality traits (PTs), and various health issues. Excessive smartphone use has been associated with physical and mental health issues and sleep disturbances. Some PTs play a protective role against excessive smartphone usage, while others are more prone to smartphone use to further understand these relationships. Exploratory graph analysis (EGA) has been employed to explore the relationship between PTs and category-wise smartphone app usage in relation to inferred sleep patterns. Method: This study analyzed data from 269 participants to explore the relationships among PTs, category-wise app usage, and inferred sleep patterns. App usage categories were extracted from smartphone usage data collected through a dedicated application. Sleep variables were inferred from periods of nonusage during the human sleep–wake cycle. Additionally, EGA was utilized to examine and visualize the associations between PTs, category-wise smartphone usage, and inferred sleep patterns. Results: Average smartphone use emerges as a central node, strongly linked to app categories and sleep variables, with higher usage correlating positively with social media, communication, and video streaming apps while negatively impacting sleep duration. PTs influence app usage patterns, with neuroticism associated with social media and communication apps, and conscientiousness negatively linked to gaming and video streaming. Conclusion: This study reveals key relationships between PTs, category-wise smartphone app usage, and inferred sleep patterns. Conscientiousness emerged as a protective factor, correlating with lower total mobile usage, less engagement in communication, video streaming, and gaming apps, and fewer sleep disturbances. In contrast, neuroticism was linked to higher smartphone use, increased use of social media and communication apps, and poorer sleep quality. App usage patterns revealed that social media, communication, and video streaming apps negatively affect sleep by delaying bedtime, while overall mobile usage primarily disrupts nighttime routines rather than morning wake-up times. These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions that consider PTs and app categories to promote healthier digital habits and improve sleep patterns.