Smartphone Addiction Tied to Loneliness, Depression

Smartphones have become a staple in today’s world, allowing us to stay connected and in-the-know 24/7 and helping us to better manage daily life. However, they’ve also created a constant need for phone time – whether you find yourself always refreshing your Facebook feed or responding immediately to every ding and vibration – and this can lead to a host of problems. 

For one, the endless stream of information and stimuli can wreak havoc on our ability to focus on one task at a time. Recently, researchers linked smartphone overuse to increased feelings of isolation and worsening of depression and anxiety symptoms – similar to the effects of other types of addiction. 

In fact, researchers from San Francisco State University likened smartphone addiction to opioid dependency: “The behavioral addiction of smartphone use begins forming neurological connections in the brain in ways similar to how opioid addiction is experienced by people taking Oxycontin for pain relief — gradually,” said Erik Peper, co-lead author of the study and professor of health education at the school, in statement.

The good news: Unlike drug addiction, we can train ourselves to be less addicted to our phones and computers, noted the researchers. They suggest the following common-sense tips to get started: 

• Turn off push notifications.
• Only respond to email and social media at specific times.
• Schedule periods with no interruptions to focus on important tasks.

More About America’s Smartphone Addiction

Here are a few surprising findings from a survey conducted by Deloitte in 2017:

• U.S. smartphone owners check their phones 47 times per day.
• 80 percent check their phone after an hour of getting up/before going to sleep.
• 85 percent use it while talking to friends and family.
• 47 percent have made an effort to limit their phone use in the past. 

Complete Harmony CA Rehab
If compulsive cell phone use is a problem that co-occurs with your drug or alcohol addiction, Complete Harmony’s team of practitioners and addiction specialists can help. Join our family and begin to live life on healthier terms, without the need for technology overload. Call 866-930-4673 to inquire about our dual-diagnosis programs, or speak with a counselor about developing a customized recovery program for you or someone you love. 

Study: Smartphone Addiction — Hyper-social, Not Anti-social?

Are you constantly checking your phone, texting or scrolling through social media? Smartphone addiction has been in the news more and more, with many experts believing this type of behavior to be antisocial. New research, however, is looking at smartphone addiction in a new way – wondering if it’s a sign of being hyper-social?

In the new review, researchers believe the most addictive smartphone functions share a common theme: they tap into the human desire to connect with other people.

The desire to watch and monitor others — and also to be seen and monitored by others — runs deep in our evolutionary past, explained professor Samuel Veissière, a cognitive anthropol
ogist, in a statement. Social media is a way for us to find meaning, goals and a sense of identity.

“There is a lot of panic surrounding this topic,” said Veissière. “We’re trying to offer some good news and show that it is our desire for human interaction that is addictive and there are fairly simple solutions to deal with this.”

Still, the researchers agree that the pace and scale of hyper-connectivity can push the brain’s reward system to run on overdrive, leading to unhealthy addictions. 

So what are these "fairly simple solutions"? Experts says turning off push notifications and setting up appropriate times to check your phone can go a long way toward helping prevent smartphone addiction.  

And, above all, we need to “start having a conversation about the appropriate way to use smartphones,” noted Veissière. “Parents and teachers need to be made aware of how important this is.”

Complete Harmony CA Rehab
If compulsive cell phone use is a problem that co-occurs with your drug or alcohol addiction, Complete Harmony’s team of practitioners and addiction specialists can help. Join our family and begin to live life on healthier terms, without the need for technology overload. Dial 866-930-4673 to inquire about our dual-diagnosis programs, or speak with a counselor about developing a customized recovery program for your needs.