7 Scary Things You Never

Knew About Cell Phone

Addiction
Quick question: Are you reading these words on a phone? If the answer is yes, you're
certainly in good company. According to research from the media analytics company
comScore, the average American adult spent approximately 2 hours and 51
minutes on their smartphone every single day in 2017. Tally up the hours we're
projected to spend on social media apps over a lifetime and the sum comes to a
whopping 5 years and 4 months. (To put that in perspective, it's 36% more time than
any of us spend eating and drinking.) In other words, if you've ever questioned
whether that twitchy feeling you get every time you scroll Instagram is a sign of
actual addiction, you can officially stop wondering.

They say recovery starts with acknowledging your problem, so here goes: I have a
slew of bad cell-phone habits—and not a clue where to begin to change them. Which
is why I was equal parts thrilled and terrified when an advance copy of the new
book How To Break Up With Your Phone ($13, amazon.com), by award-winning
health journalist Catherine Price, recently landed in my mailbox.

A slim, insight-packed volume that's both a primer on the toll smartphone overuse can
take on our mental and physical health, and a practical manual for a 30-day reset
designed to put you on a path to moderation, this is a book whose message couldn't
feel more timely, or more urgent. (No, really: after finishing the whole thing in one
horrified sitting, I immediately pre-ordered 3 more copies for friends and family.)

Price has nailed her research: Nearly every page of her book contains a startling
number or nugget designed to deliver a serious wake-up call. So, if you're still not
convinced the message applies to you, here are seven alarming facts—and a few easy
suggestions—that might convince you it's time to stop mindlessly swiping once and
for all.

RELATED: What I Learned From My Digital Detox

1. There's a test for cell phone addiction

If you've ever been on Facebook, you know that online quizzes are pretty much
human catnip. Here's one that might actually be worth spending a few minutes of your
life on: the Smartphone Compulsion Test, developed by David Greenfield, PhD, of
the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction at the University of Connecticut
School of Medicine. According to Greenfield, a "yes" answer to more than 5 out of
the 15 questions indicates that a person likely has a problematic relationship with their
mobile device. Try it for yourself—but be prepared. As Price herself admits, these
days it seems like "the only way to score below a 5 on this test is to not have a
smartphone."

2. "Phubbing" is a thing
You know that annoying habit your friend has of casually checking her texts while
you're talking? Well, it's so common, there's now an actual name for it: phubbing, as
in phone-snubbing. You'd never do that, right?!

3. Social media apps are designed to hook you

Do you find yourself mindlessly reaching for your phone? Or refreshing your social
media feeds, even when you just checked them minutes ago? Don't beat yourself up
about your lack of willpower. The truth is, nearly every app on your phone has been
expertly engineered to produce those very responses by designers skilled in
manipulating brain chemistry to elicit addictive behaviors.
Case in point: "Instagram," Price explains, "has created code that deliberately holds
back on showing users new 'likes' so that it can deliver a bunch of them in a sudden
rush at the most effective moment possible—meaning the moment at which seeing
new likes will discourage you from closing the app."

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