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June 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Technology Can Be
Addicting
Are you hooked on your smartphone?
By Dr. Tom Miller, Staff Writer
Whether we face the challenge of
binging on shopping, food or drink,
we are sometimes caught in a rut
that can develop into an addiction.
A shopping addiction can deplete
a bank account quickly. Overeating
can lead to an eating disorder, and
dependence on alcohol or other substances can provide the invitation to
become an addict. The 21st century
has introduced yet another area of
possible addiction. Advances have
created for some of us the opportunity for getting hooked on smart
technology.
Is it possible to be addicted to
your smartphone?
According to a Baylor University
study, the answer is yes. Technology
can actually be as addicting as drugs
and alcohol for some individuals.
James Robert, the Ben H. Williams
Professor of Marketing in the
Hankamer School of Business at
Baylor and an expert in consumer
behavior, notes some habitual cell
phone users can begin to depend on
their phone in ways that seem quite
similar to how people respond to
drugs. For example, spending time
away from the phone can make them
feel stressed and anxious or panicky, a bit like suffering withdrawal
in drug addiction. Some addicted
smartphone users find cell phone
use lifts their moods, but it takes an
increasing amount of time to get the
same level of enjoyment from their
phone than it did when they first
started using it. Smartphone addicts
may find themselves ignoring work,
their children and other responsibilities just to check their social media
feed one more time or play another
game. We’ve all seen cell phone
abusers texting and causing traffic
delays.
While it seems rather ironic and
counterintuitive, apps have been
developed to aid this type of addictive behavior. Probably one of the
best known is called FlipD. This app
is designed to basically allow you
to set periods of time when you are
essentially locked out of your phone.
During those times, you can only
call three special contacts, and all
messages are auto-responded with
a message of your choice. Once per
session, you can get a 60-second
“free pass” when you can check
Facebook or use your smartphone
for something else. Other apps
include Breakfree or Phone Addict
Free, which are designed to reduce
smartphone use and track how much
time you spend on your phone.
Using an app may help you in selfmonitoring your behavior and then
create a consciousness regarding
your use of smartphone technology.
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If a person needs professional
treatment for his or her addiction,
a licensed psychologist is trained to
treat these types of disorders. As clinicians and researchers examine the
impact of smart technologies on our
lives, it is important to ask ourselves
just how much of our time is spent
on that new technology. How dependent are you on your phone? Are
you addicted to logging onto social
media or some other networking
site? It is very important to realize
technology is beneficial when it is a
tool to improve our lives, but it is a
risk when it becomes an unhealthy
addiction.
Sources and Resources
American Psychological Association
(2016). Is your smartphone the boss
of you? Available at: www.today.com/
health/your-smartphone-boss-you9-ways-fight-back-t49971