According to a 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center, 46% of all American adults now own a smartphone -- up a whopping 25% from 2011.
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If you use your smartphone as a “security blanket” to relieve feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or awkwardness in social situations, for example, you’ll succeed only in cutting yourself off further from people around you. In fact, most of us are rarely ever more than five feet from our smartphones. While you can initiate many of these measures yourself, an addiction is hard to beat on your own, especially when temptation is always within easy reach. And smartphone use can get very heavy.
If you or a loved one displays these signs and symptoms of cell phone addiction, help is readily available.
Just as you still need to eat, you probably still need to use your phone for work, school, or to stay in touch with friends.
"Peter DeLisi, president, Organizational Synergies; academic dean of internet technology leadership, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif.Harvard Business School: Breaking the Smartphone Addiction. Teens who are addicted to the Internet tend to experience the following: Decreased brain connectivity in parts of the brain that regulate emotions, decision-making, and impulse-control. "That instinct probably helped us survive when we were cavemen and cavewomen. Our content does not constitute a medical or psychological consultation. Like the use of drugs and alcohol, they can trigger the release of the brain chemical dopamine and alter your mood.
And the more I use it, the more often the urge to look at it hits me. At the same time, it can also exacerbate these problems.
"We're seeking that pleasurable hit." Smartphone addiction. In this BankMyCell report we explore: Why smartphones hook us in, plus tips on reclaiming your time and concentration.I'll admit it: I check my smartphone compulsively. Any parent who’s tried to drag a child or teen away from a smartphone or tablet knows how challenging it can be to separate kids from social media, messaging apps, or online games and videos. Staring at your phone will deny you the face-to-face interactions that can help to meaningfully connect you to others, alleviate anxiety, and boost your mood. After all, it’s rarely the phone or tablet itself that creates the compulsion, but rather the games, apps, and online worlds it connects us to.Smartphone addiction can encompass a variety of impulse-control problems, including:While you can experience impulse-control problems with a laptop or desktop computer, the size and convenience of smartphones and tablets means that we can take them just about anywhere and gratify our compulsions at any time.
Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. says Peter DeLisi, academic dean of the information technology leadership program at Santa Clara University in California.
"It's like slot machines," Greenfield says. Call the phone number above to speak with a treatment specialist about various recovery options. Start improving your mental health and wellness today. ""One thing my research made clear is that human beings have a deep, primitive desire to know everything that's going on around them," he says.
Smartphone or Internet addiction can also negatively impact your life by: Increasing loneliness and depression. Computer technologies can be addictive, he says, because they're "psychoactive." And I swore off using social media on it entirely. "A true addiction entails a growing tolerance to a substance (think drugs or alcohol) so you need more to get "high," uncomfortable symptoms during withdrawal, and a harmful impact on your life, Greenfield says. 4