Are we addicted to our phones?

Approximately 81% of Americans own smartphones. Although they are a great tool to have and use, is there a chance that we are addicted to our phones? The answer is yes. There are many people who are addicted to using and checking their cell phones mainly due to the release of dopamine it gives our brains. To understand this addiction, scientists have developed three new terms. Nomophobia, the fear of going without your phone, textaphrenia, the fear that you cannot send or receive texts, and phantom vibration, the feeling that your phone is alerting you when it really isn’t.

People are addicted to their phones due to a release of dopamine in our brains when we have social interactions. Dopamine is a feel-good chemical that is released when we’re in rewarding situations. For many people social interaction releases dopamine, creating the addiction we have to our phones. A common use of phones is for social interaction, most often on social media. This leads people to become accustomed to constantly checking their phones in order to have the release of dopamine when they connect with others online. App designers and programmers use this to their advantage. They create apps that give positive reinforcements such as “likes” or “comments” in unpredictable patterns leading people to check their phones even more often.

Symptoms of a phone addiction include reaching for your phone the moment you get bored or are alone, waking up throughout the night to check your phone, and feeling anxious or upset when you do not have access to your phone. They also include spending a large amount of time on your phone that is consistently increasing, when your phone is interfering with your job performance, schoolwork, or relationships, and when people in your life are concerned about your amount of phone use. Research has shown that adolescents are more likely to develop addictions to their phones compared to other age groups. It has also been proven that the younger a teen has a phone or device of their own, the more likely they are to form an addiction to their phone.

It can be difficult to rid someone of their phone addiction due to the fact that it is a necessary part of life and society today. There are ways to help with the addiction such as cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of therapy that can help change certain behavior patterns, removing time consuming apps, changing settings to turn off unnecessary notifications, keeping your phone in another room when studying or sleeping, and developing hobbies to replace the release of dopamine that you get from your phone.

Picture Source: entrepreneur.com