By the time you’ve read this, you’ll probably feel a strong urge to check your phone.
Americans check their phone on average once every 12 minutes – burying their heads in their phones 80 times a day, according to new research.
A study by global tech protection and support company Asurion found that the average person struggles to go little more than 10 minutes without checking their phone. And of the 2,000 people surveyed, one in 10 check their phones on average once every four minutes.
Four hours is the longest time the average person studied was prepared to go before the need to check their phone becomes too much.
The survey found that separation anxiety is indeed real. As a matter of fact, 31 percent feel regular anxiety at any point when separated from their phone and 60 percent reported experiencing occasional stress when their phone is off or out of reach.
Despite how crucial our phones are too many aspects of modern life, one in five respondents still hasn’t gotten a protective case for their device.
Which might explain why 17 percent currently use a damaged but still working phone.
No wonder then that Americans would go to some extreme lengths to keep their phone – a third of respondents would rather give up sex for a week than go one day without their device.
And 62 percent would prefer to go a week without chocolate than lose their phone for just one day.
Perhaps an example of just how crucial our phones are becoming comes in the revelation that four in 10 Americans would rather lose their voice for a day than lose their phone for 24 hours.
“Smartphones have become the remote control to our lives, not only storing our contacts, calendars and photos but also serving as the main operating hub for connecting to our smart home devices, our car Bluetooth systems and more. So, when your device is lost, stolen or broken or simply isn’t connecting correctly, it can have an immense impact on your daily life,” said Bettie Colombo, Asurion spokesperson.
In fact, phones serve so many functions for people that it’s now debatable what the purpose of the phone is in modern times. Results were split when respondents were asked if making a call is the main purpose of a phone, with 51 percent said yes while 49 percent felt phones are no longer primarily for phone calls.
But the phone is increasingly integral in other areas of life – from staying in touch with family and friends via messaging to evolving our dating lives and literally telling us where to go.
Indeed, 41 percent of people surveyed said they would be literally lost and wouldn’t be able to navigate without the GPS function on their mobile phones.
A third of respondents said they would struggle to get themselves organized without their device, saying that’s the thing they turn to most for telling time, setting reminders and even waking up in the morning.