Attached To Your Phone? You Might Be Addicted
WACO, TX (CBS) – Can't tear yourself away from your smartphone?
You could be addicted.
New research out of Baylor University claims some 60-percent of college students say they might be addicted to their phones, with women averaging 10 hours of use per day and men not far behind at eight.
The study, which polled 164 college students about their cellphone habits, looked at 24 different activities. Participants were also asked to respond to 11 statements like, "I get agitated when my cellphone is not in sight" and "I find that I am spending more and more time on my cellphone," to measure their addiction.
Overall, users reported spending the most time texting, followed by emailing and then by perusing Facebook.
Pinterest and Instagram, surprisingly, were closely associated with smartphone addiction, while gaming and surfing the internet (two activities commonly perceived as addictive) were not.
And if you've ever used your phone to "hide" from an uncomfortable situation, you're not alone.
"Some people use a cellphone to dodge an awkward situation. They may pretend to take a call, send a text or check their phones," explained lead researcher James Roberts, Ph.D., of The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business.
The research is titled "The Invisible Addiction: Cellphone Activities and Addiction among Male and Female College Students."
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