Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?

  Our mobile phones have become an integral part of nearly every aspect of our lives, to the point that you may be asking, are you addicted to your smartphone? Understanding how the use of these devices and the apps they contain affects your brain is essential. When you better understand the potential effects, you can set boundaries for your phone use. Is Smartphone Addiction Real? According to Pew Research Center, more than 80% of Americans have cell phones with an internet connection. In 2011, that number was just 35%; while people tend to express a fear of being without their phones, experts aren’t sure if they’re ready to call it an addiction just yet. There’s some debate among mental health professionals. Some feel that when you display addictive behavior with your phone, it’s an impulse control issue. Others are more likely to call it a true addiction. If we are going to describe it as an addiction, it’s a behavioral addiction. The only behavioral addiction officially recogni...