Addicted to Your Smartphone? Here's What to Do

Why smartphones hook us in, plus tips on reclaiming your time and concentration.

I didn't like my BlackBerry at first. It felt funny next to my ear, and the keys seemed to be made for ant feet, not human fingers. But soon I realized the true glory of a smartphone: I could check my email from anywhere -- playgrounds, cafés, parking lots -- which meant I could stop worrying about missing important messages when I was away from my computer.

Then one day I realized instant access could go too far. As I pulled up to a stoplight, I felt an urge to grab my BlackBerry out of my briefcase and check my email. Long a critic of texting while driving, I realized I was on the verge of doing just that -- just because I could. I started to understand why the phone is nicknamed "CrackBerry."

Are Smartphones Addictive?

We've all heard the anecdotes about people checking their smartphones in the boardroom, the bathroom, even the bedroom. Whether these devices really "hook" users into dependency remains unclear. But "we already know that the Internet and certain forms of computer use are addictive," says David Greenfield, PhD, a West Hartford, Connecticut, based psychologist and author of Virtual Addiction: Help for Netheads, Cyberfreaks, and Those Who Love Them. "And while we're not seeing actual PDA addictions now, the potential is certainly there."

 

A true addiction entails a growing tolerance to a substance (think drugs or alcohol) so you need more to get "high," uncomfortable symptoms during withdrawal, and a "deleterious" impact on your life, Greenfield says.

 

Computer technologies can be addictive because they're "psychoactive"; they alter mood and often trigger enjoyable feelings. Email, in particular, gives us satisfaction due to what psychologists call "variable ratio reinforcement." That is, we never know when we'll get a satisfying email, so we keep checking, over and over again. "It's like slot machines," Greenfield says. "We're seeking that pleasurable hit."

 

Smartphones, of course, allow us to go to the inbox feeding trough anytime and anywhere. Is such behavior unhealthy? That really depends on whether it's disrupting your work or family life, Greenfield says.

Once I recognized my growing BlackBerry compulsion, I made a conscious decision not to check the phone continually and definitely not to look at it while driving. Most important, I decided that I don't always have to be virtually available and that being with the ones I'm with (physically) is what matters most.

Managing Your Smartphone Use

Obsessed with checking your phone for new email? Greenfield suggests these steps to control your smartphone use:

 

Be conscious of the situations and emotions that make you want to check your phone.

Be strong when your phone beeps or rings. You don't always have to answer it. In fact, you can avoid temptation by turning off the alert signals.

 

Be disciplined about not using your device in certain situations (such as when you're with your family or driving) or at certain hours (for example, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.).