Psychologists warn of cell phone addiction

Psychologists warn of cell phone addiction

www.rawstory.com

Psychologists warn that smartphone users are in danger of becoming addicted to the device.

“The more ‘connected’ we are, the less we are connecting,” addiction specialist Michael Dow told CBS News. He said some people experience withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, insomnia and depression, which are typically associated with substance abuse.

“It can actually creates a lot of cortisone in the brain and in the body that stress hormone is actually cardio-toxic,” Dow explained. “So it’s actually very bad not only for your mental health and your relationships but it can also be b

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My name is whaaa and I'm an iphone addict.
Yes it's true, but I have been in denial for over a year now; I have to face the fact that I am powerless over the seductiveness of the connection to people places and things.
I find myself on Facebook or ATS with no remembrance of how I got there or when I started. I will be talking to my GF or even casual acquaintances and have no recollection of even punching speed dial or using voice activated dialing. I'll play games or watch youtube videos of dogs catching frisbees at the drop of a hat and never be satisfied with just one. I order apps that I know I'll never use. I lie to myself and make the excuse that I need this machine for work but... It's sick and I'm asking for help; I know it's just a matter of time until I graduate to the much harder and addictive ipad or even the iphone 5.



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I have been addicted to mobile devices for a long time, I still remember the buzz when I got my first WinCe v1 device and utterly enjoy the whole experience of playing with them, ripping roms and outdoing the limits set by manufacturers which is usually where I get my buzz

All in all I feel there really is nothing to be ashamed of..

Glad I never succumbed to the urge. Everyone I know owns a phone and they grip them in their hands almost obsessively (now I know why), checking their text messages and other crap. I must be weird, I don't like talking on the phone or being at the beck and call of anyone who wants gets ahold of me at anytime. Just more junk for a narcissistic society.

I see people walking while talking and texting all around me. I know they are driving and doing the same.

I know that If you want to see someone in a dead panic, cut off their cell phone.

I don't use a cell phone.

reply to post by Balkan


I remember well the tingle I felt when someone loaned me their android to check my stock quotes or the weather in El Paso; I forget which one it was... The feeling was like "I'm a complete human now, life has a meaning" I knew at that moment that the devise I got at walmart was passe and I would never be the same.
Deep in my heart I knew that someday I would sign a 2 year contract and there would be no going back to the innocence of a monthly card purchased at the Quickie Mart. I must have been a smart phone user even before I owned one, if that makes any sense.

I'm a server at a restaurant and I will never forget the time I went up to my 6-top (6 people). It was a mother, father, and 4 kids. The kids were all under 14.

EVERYONE was engrossed in their smartphones. No one even looked up. It stuck with me for some reason.

But I see things like that ALL THE TIME.

I have one, don't get me wrong. And I AM addicted to the internet. Just making an observation.

reply to post by impaired


They say that confession cleanses the soul...

Once...I looked up the directions to a bar "The Squirrel cage" with the google map app. I had driven to this particular place hundreds of times and knew the neighborhood like the back of my hand, but I still felt the compulsion to use my phone to get directions. oh the shame.....

Recently I was in Bangkok visiting a friend who works for a large corporation there and we decided to go to a comedy show there were some a grade comedians in town,at the show the audience included a few hundred mostly expats that work there.All through the show all of them including my friend were sitting there taking calls,texting etc,it was pathetic they'd paid $50 for a show but still couldn't turn off their damn devices to enjoy it,then it struck me THESE PEOPLE SERVE THIS TECHNOLOGY THE TECHNOLOGY DOES NOT SERVE THEM.

Personally I do not have a mobile phone as I dont want brain tumours or cancers personally steer your kid towards being a neurosurgeon because in ten years time it will be a very busy profession.

Screw the Psychologist's! What the hell do they know anyway? Oh by the way, I'm typing this on my CRACKBERRY!

I was driving to a friends house with my sister. She was on her iphone thing. I was given unclear directions, so to speak. I was kind of nervous I'd take the wrong road or something, but I felt reasonable I could find the place. She suddenly says, "I'm going to look up the address and get directions to see what it says." Ummm, I thought, why didn't you say this like 2 hours ago? Anyway, just as she said that I saw the sign for the road and turned onto it. Not half a mile later there we were at my friends house. She was still on her iphone, not sure what she was doing. I think she's going to start eating it or something because she doesn't eat much.

It's weird how this phenomena grows. I remember one job I had several of the workers on the conveyer belt would go on their iphone things and I still don't understand how the supervisor was ok with that. I'm pretty sure too that the problems we were having with the machines were caused by them not being aware of what they were doing because their eyes were fixed on their phone thing. What's so crazy is that I'm not lying. Maybe the supervisor is addicted to one too.

Does Obama use one? That would help to explain a lot of concerns I have about him.

Have a look at this (strangely prophetic):
www.youtube.com ...

I hate my phone.

I keep it in a drawer and once a month I check to see if anybody called it.

If it werent for needed a phone number to have a job and fill in all sorts of other utility information and contact information I wouldnt have a phone at all.

I feel the same way about electricity in general. I need an income to pay taxes and a job to earn an income so I concede and accept electricity. And this ridiculous computer my job puts in front of my face.

The post and my front door attract the same resentment from me.

They are all gateways for intrusion and harassment.

iPhone addict right here

I was never into cell phones and really didn't care if I had one or not UNTIL I got the first iPhone. I was in heaven. I could do everything on it and I did. I do the same thing with apps however this last upgrade a month ago I havent ordered or downloaded one app or song. That is amazing for me lol


I was without my phone for about two months, one month while in Italy and one month when I got back. In a way it was actually really nice to not have it. It wasn't an annoying bother at night or during the day with the text tone. I could only reach people online if that or in person. It was nice because I met up with more people vs talking on the phone like we normally would have.

I do think all this easy communication via text and social networking makes it easier to not really communicate with someone in a real true sense...Face to face. I hope that makes sense.

Coping with Cell Phone Addiction
- By John M. Grohol, Psy.D:
psychcentral.com ...

I especially like this point:

4. You don’t need that kind of connection. So many people spend so much time on their cellphones because they believe it is a necessary part of their connections with others, or with their ability to be reached and respond instantly to any and all kinds of communications. For what purpose? If you need such hyperactive connectivity, that suggests something isn’t entirely healthy with some of those relationships to begin with. Quality social, work and romantic relationships aren’t built on 180 character sarcastic notes constantly exchanged with one another. While it’s fun for a time, it’s not going to lead to a higher-quality relationship or a better, more enjoyable life (especially if it’s creating anxiety and problems in your existing life).

Cell phone technology is hyped. We never REALLY needed it. It's just extra sh** to worry about. In fact, I think the companies that're pushing this on us are mostly to blame. Remember, they're trying to sell a product. they highlight all of the good points about them, but like most industry, they skip over the negatives. I think ti's just another example of corporate greed.

I feel sorry for people who fall for this sham. Addiction is a horrible thing to see and experience.

I read a story in Analog (april 1999) just the other day. It's named The Company Man. My how prophetic it's too. The man is bombarded with messages and calls and expectations placed on him by the AI company executive. Yes, the executive isn't even human. But anyway, the sum of hte story is that he cuts the cord and rejoins humanity. It kind of reminds me of this.

I tried to google but couldn't find. Found something similar, here:
www.coursework.info ...

Even if there were no addiction to it, it would still be wrong because it kills our humanity. There's just something wrong with people staring mindlessly at screens. We ALL know this deep down.

Humans aren't meant to sit and stare. We've evolved to talk and walk and so on. Wisdom.

reply to post by jonnywhite


There is one aspect on the smart phone that brings people together in a real sense and that is the photo/video app.
I like to take candids [ay, ay, wink, wink, nudge nudge ay, know what I mean sport] with my iphone. It's absolutely amazing how many women like to take their clothes off for a quick photo session or video but invariably I get interrupted by a call from someone wanting to borrow my car or money or my drill press or my iphone so they can look at my pictures and videos. Pervs...


Another cool app is the "Math Bingo" where you can sharpen your math skills so you can know exactly how much you are getting soaked for the convenience of staying connected in a despicable unhealthy addiction.

As much as i hate to admit, I am also addicted. Especially when it comes to texting. Theres times where im asleep and i think im actually texting with someone and having conversations in the middle of the night. Then i wake up and check my texts and those conversations never happened. I really need to find another place to put my phone rather than under my pillow.

Its starting to really get bad

I don't have an iphone (yet). I probably should not even consider one. I have enough trouble walking away from the damn computer to get things done.

I think just having a cell phone is bad enough distractions with calls coming in and text messages. I have a rule at my house, NO cell phones or ipods at the dinner table! I started to notice as all the kids got their gadgets, they were ALL texting through dinner. I put my foot down to that! And at times when we are watching a show together, I tell them to turn them off.

When I see families texting each other from with in the same house, it annoys me to no end.

Originally posted by blackmetalmist
As much as i hate to admit, I am also addicted. Especially when it comes to texting. Theres times where im asleep and i think im actually texting with someone and having conversations in the middle of the night. Then i wake up and check my texts and those conversations never happened. I really need to find another place to put my phone rather than under my pillow.

Its starting to really get bad

I have to ask this question. Do you really consider texting a "conversation"? Texting is communication (for me), not a conversation.

According to the dictionary, a conversation is:

–noun
1.
informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk; colloquy.
2.
an instance of this.
3.
association or social intercourse; intimate acquaintance.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Heh, having never owned a Cellphone and honestly being able to say ive only used a Cellphone in total for about 5 minutes in my entire life (and I was born well before Cellphones were even conceptualized, heck I remember the first car phones in the 80's)... this is a genuinely worrying issue ive seen in the world.

Its an interesting perspective seeing most of the world clinging to these little blobs of electronics and plastic, my sister has hers 24/7, heck even watching TV she 'wants' to watch she'll be half texting while watching. I dont let the little things even near me.

To me it truly is baffling behavior. Good to see some others in a similar situation. I think this addiction can happen with any kind of new technology (I was addicted to MMO's for a few years, but not anymore) but with Cellphones there is definitely something unsetlingly stronger. Its probably deliberate to get us all to jump whole heartedly onto the 'intergrated' versions (ie installed directly into your head) when they eventually come about, and they WILL come about (im sure some companys working on em now).

Not for me however, not now nor ever... want to talk to me, use a land line or do it in person.