Friday, November 27, 2015

SMART PHONES, TRAFFIC DEATHS AND ADDICTIONS

Think this isn't a problem, before we get to  the major topics, consider this:
" According to a 2013 survey by Harris Interactive, 20 percent of Americans, 18 to 34 years of age, use their cellphones during sex, generating a new meaning for the expression coitus interruptus."

As per PC World:
“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "distracted driving," where the driver's attention is focused on an activity other than the road ahead, is a growing problem. In fact, the proportion of fatalities linked to distracted drivers rose from 10 percent in 2005 to 16 percent in 2009.

While the overall number of U.S. traffic deaths is on the wane--from 43,510 in 2005 to 33,808 in 2009--the percentage of fatalities associated with driver distraction is on the rise.

Nearly one in five (18 percent) of all fatal distracted-driving crashes last year reportedly involved cell phones as the distraction, according to a new NHTSA study. In those crashes, the phone was either in use at the time of the crash, or was "in the presence of the driver" when the accident occurred.”

According to another source:

“The reason that smartphones are so addicting is because they trigger the release of serotonin and dopamine—the "feel good chemicals" in our brains—providing instant gratification just like addictive substances do, says therapist and addiction expert Paul Hokemeyer, Ph.D. (Put down the phone and try The 10 Habits of Happy People instead.)

And he says that this particular type of addiction can be a sign of deeper problems. "Obsessive and compulsive smartphone use is a symptom of underlying behavioral health and personality issues," he explains. "What happens is that people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety, trauma, and socially-challenging personalities self-medicate by reaching for things outside of themselves to manage their internal discomfort. Because technology plays such an integral part of our lives, smartphones easily become their object of choice."

But what appears to be a solution at first actually amplifies their problems in the long run. "They choose reaching for their phones over healing connections with important people," Hokemeyer explains. Doing so, though, can hurt your career and personal life, not to mention cause you to miss out on all the fun things happening in real life. (Find out how Your Cell Phone Is Ruining Your Downtime.)”

"  . . . "Larry Rosen, a research psychologist at California State University who studies smartphone use among college students, says . . .  that most college students are “heavy users” and that his experiments show that their heart rates and other vital signs actually spike when they can’t use their phones, in response to increased anxiety and distraction."
 

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