Addiction often has associated physical symptoms as well and, in a way, technology addiction does, too. Have you ever felt your phone vibrating in your pocket, only to pull it out and discover you had imagined it? Or do you sometimes think you hear your phone ringing when it’s not? If so, you’re far from alone. A recent study found that nearly 90 percent of U.S. college students had experienced this phenomenon known as “phantom vibration syndrome.”
Here’s something that’s important to remember amid all this talk of technology addiction: iPhones, social networking sites, cameras, Adele concerts, and Pokemon are all good things. Mindfulness is the key here. Maybe just take a couple of snapshots at your next concert. Maybe you only need to check Twitter twice per day instead of every fifteen minutes. Maybe you don’t really need to catch Pokemon at your next State Department briefing or when crossing a busy city street. After all, it’s not whether you use these technologies, but how you use them. Rethinking your technology use can make you happier, better rested, and more productive. And you wouldn’t want to miss out on that!
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