Put that phone down

Sure, smartphones and tablets are fascinating. It’s the frontier of tech development, where you can find the freshest ideas. For many of us, the smartphone has changed the way we live and work. You don’t need to be tethered to a computer to have access to email and the internet. Interesting new apps or features appear all the time, and you read about them each month in articles like this one.

But recent studies show we are spending more time with our phone than our significant other. If you think that doesn’t sound healthy, well, you’re not the only one. The old saying “too much of a good thing” may apply here.

The research was published in the ‘Mobile Life’ report, carried out by digital communications company O2 and electronics company Samsung. The survey involved 2,000 British adults. The research found that, while the average British smartphone owner spends 97 minutes a day with their nearest and dearest, they spend 119 minutes – just shy of two hours – on their phones.

The same problem exists on our side of the pond, too. New York Times bestselling authors Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield just released a study on the way “likes” and the need for social media praise affect our lives. The February study, which surveyed 1,623 people, demonstrated a disturbing trend: that we’re more concerned with getting a like than having a life.
 

Grenny and Maxfield conducted the study as a warning of sorts. Smartphones are beginning to control our attention and motivation in ways that we may not even realize. For example, three out of four people surveyed admitted to being rude or distant because they focus more on their phones than people, while one out of four said they’ve let their smartphones disturb “intimate” moments. Yikes.

A stunning 91 percent of the respondents said they’ve witnessed tourists miss a great moment because they were trying to capture it for social media. Many of that same 91 percent admits to doing the same thing themselves.

We’ve grown to rely on our phones as our watch, map, camera, notepad, and library, as well as their original function — communication device. But maybe it’s time to take a step back.