Are You Addicted To Your Phone?

How much time do you spend on your phone? Do you think you're addicted to your phone? Phone addiction has become a big problem. People are becoming “attached” to their phones.

G. Thayer wrote in his article, “Researchers from three universities–the University of Missouri, University of Oklahoma, and Indiana University–devised a study in which they tricked 40 iPhone users into temporarily giving up their phones before completing a puzzle.

To do that, participants were told that the study’s purpose was to test a new wireless blood pressure cuff. While still in possession of their iPhones, participants then finished a word search puzzle, while the researchers recorded heart rate and blood pressure responses. Participants also reported their levels of anxiety and how unpleasant or pleasant they felt when doing the puzzle.

The researchers then told participants that their iPhones were causing “Bluetooth interference” with the wireless blood pressure cuff and that the phones needed to be placed further away in the room for a second-word search puzzle. While working on the second puzzle, the researchers called the participants’ iPhones–which the participants heard ringing, but couldn’t reach.”

Did this affect the way they did the second puzzle? Yes, it did affect the participates. The participants said that they had much more trouble when not having their phone within reach, and some said they started to get feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness.

The time spent on electronic devices for an average American is three hours and thirty-five minutes. The average user will tap, swipe, click their phone 2,615 times.

But there are ways you can limit phone use. For example, you need to make rules for yourself about the amount of phone usage, you can put screen time on your apps, or you can have a number of hours you can be on it.

• Do you think you're addicted to your phone?
• Do you know anyone who seems glued to their devices?
• Would you limit the usage on your phone?