You can not live without your cell phone and thank god you usually don’t have to. But digital dependence isn’t necessarily the healthiest habit. Look out for the scary side effects below they will make you feel much better the next time your phone battery dies.
- It strains your eyes. Whenever you spend more than a couple consecutive hours staring at your phone (or alternating between your phone and computer screens), you risk dry eyes from blinking less, headaches, blurred vision, and general eyestrain particularly if you have any untreated vision problems in the first place. Unlike reading from a printed page, it’s harder for your eyes to focus on a digital screen because the letters aren’t as sharp, there’s less contrast between the backlit letters and background, and you’re up against glare and reflections, according to theAmerican Optometric Association. Looking into the distance every 20 minutes can help, as can an antiglare screen and frequent blinking.
- It could give you “rinxiety” or “phantom pocket vibration syndrome.” These conditions refer to anxiety surrounding missed messages and phone calls — and the more often you check your device, the worse it will get, Kissen says. Your behavior is only a Real Problem if it starts to interfere with daily functioning (i.e., you check your phone so often you can’t complete menial tasks at work) or causes excessive distress (i.e., any stress — so what if you miss a text?!). If you can’t change your ways on your own by paring back on screen checks, cognitive behavioral therapy is always an option.
- It could make you feel depressed. Studies link frequent social media use and depression — and smartphones makes it easy to OD. “Being bombarded by images of everyone looking happy and successful leads to unhealthy and inaccurate comparisons and decreased feelings of self-worth,” says Debra Kissen, Ph.D., clinical director of Light on Anxiety Treatment Center in Chicago.
- It can trigger nomophobia, or the fear of being without your phone. You know that feeling of safety and security you get from having a fully charged phone in your hand? Nomophobia is the opposite: It can lead you to think — often irrationally — that you’re not safe without a phone in your hand, Kissen explains. To get over this fear, face it head on by leaving it behind for increasing amounts of time at increasingly far distances. And remember that people managed to survive without their phones 15 years ago. You’ll make it — trust.
- It could dull your memory. With a smartphone handy, there’s no reason to memorize things you know you can easily look up like phone numbers. And when you stop memorizing facts and figures, your memory can get a little rusty, Kissen says. (Luckily, you don’t have to worry about permanent damage — memory games can help rebuild brainpower.)
- It deflates your self-esteem. Phones give people the ability to filter every part of daily life and place the best parts in your palm. All this amounts to a constant stream of unattainable reality that makes you feel bad about living your unfiltered life.
- It triggers FOMO. Your device connects you to all the cool things everyone else is doing (besides using their phones to share the fun). Because seeing all this awesomeness can make you feel jealous (and badly about spending Saturday night in your PJs), it’s basically a trigger.
- It can trick you into gaining weight. It’s common sense: Phones are distracting particularly at mealtime. Even mindlessly scrolling through your Facebook feed while you eat can make you less aware of when your body sends the signal to stop eating. Of course this contributes to overeating, which can cause weight gain over time. (It’s why Kissen keeps her phone out of sight while she eats.)
- It stunts the growth of your social skills. A phone is a ticket out of interacting in any social situation. It’s a crutch that could interfere with your development of proper communication skills IRL. And of course social angst leads to anxiety and the physical symptoms that can accompany it.
- It rots your brain by cheapening your conversation. While 89 percent of cellphone users involved in a recent Pew Research Center study whipped their devices out at a recent social function (and 11 percent were clearly lying), 82 percent of people said their phone use interferes with the quality of their conversation. And you don’t need a stat to tell you that effective communication is vital to your mental health.
Credit: cosmopolitan