Smartphones have long been an integral part of our lives. For many, losing your phone is like a disaster. But what else are smartphones dangerous other than the addiction they cause?
Waste of time
We are wasting a lot of time because of smartphones. Just think, how many times do you go to social networks (which, by the way, have become unimaginably many) just to get distracted? Recent phone models have begun to count screen time in front of the phone. Average rates are 5-7 hours a day! And it’s good if this includes reading a book, news, learning foreign languages or watching a movie. But, unfortunately, in most cases this is scrolling through the Instagram or Facebook feed. And 90% of the content on social media is completely useless.
Lack of real life
Have you paid attention to the behavior of people in companies? Instead of chatting live, everyone sits with their eyes on the phone. And it’s not a lack of upbringing. It’s about addiction and a nervous desire to constantly scroll the tape. Our online communication only remotely resembles us in real life. On the Internet, we can be anyone – for example, an improved version of ourselves: smarter, more beautiful, richer, more successful. In reality, we do not have time to prepare, we cannot answer a question for 10-15 minutes using Google. Our real life can be radically different from what we lead on the Web.
Often, Instagram users show signs of narcissistic personality disorder, which is expressed in an overestimated sense of self-importance. And also the constant need to share your life, the need for someone else’s approval and admiration. Not to mention the addiction to likes, the absence of which causes stress and depressive mood. Endless selfies often hide low self-esteem and a lot of complexes. In order to somehow control the “sticking” in social networks, you can limit the time spent in the smartphone or in a specific application in the settings.
Mental disorders
Phantom vibration syndrome, or phantom ringing syndrome, is an anxiety condition in which a person believes their phone is ringing or vibrating. Although in reality this does not happen. In his dissertation, published in 2007, Beverly Hills psychologist Davil Laremy writes that about two-thirds of people constantly hear phone noises that aren’t there. If you are familiar with this, then keep in mind: medicine regards this as one of the signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
In addition, there is also nomophobia, or the fear of being left without a mobile phone. This is one of the most advanced phobias recognized by the medical community. Smartphones have actually enslaved us!
Sleep disturbance
A smartphone screen is not only bad for your eyesight. The light emitted by it can lead to a malfunction in a person’s biological clock. Our circadian rhythms are sensitive to ambient temperature. At sunset, the light has a warm red tint. This color gives a command to the circadian rhythm, and he starts the process of going to sleep in the body. Cold or blue shades of light predominate at dawn. According to them, the body understands that it is time to go into the wakefulness mode.
Smartphones with constant light of screens disable our biorhythm, and this leads to insomnia. With long-term sleep problems, there are risks of getting other diseases: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, and even cancer. To reduce the risks, it is recommended not to watch TV before going to bed and not to use the phone 2-3 hours before bedtime. Or at least switch it to night mode.
Electromagnetic radiation
Any cellular device is in constant communication with base stations. When moving, the smartphone periodically switches from one station to another, so it maintains the best signal level. This happens all the time, even when you are not using it.
The radio frequency electromagnetic radiation generated by the smartphone is absorbed by the tissues of the head (brain, retina). Moreover, radiation acts both on individual organs and on the entire nervous system. In addition, scientists have proven more than once that electromagnetic waves cause tissue heating. Over time, this affects the functioning of the entire body. In particular, at work of the nervous, cardiovascular and endocrine systems.
Children who use smartphones are at greater risk due to the risk of memory and sleep disorders . The main reason is low-intensity electromagnetic radiation that can penetrate the thinner skull of a child.
What to do? First of all, try to reduce the frequency of using your mobile device. And it is better to use a speakerphone or a wireless headset – this way the effect on the brain is minimal. Set your smartphone away from bed overnight. It has an effect on the body even in standby mode. And in everyday life do not carry it in your pocket ie , use the bag to increase the distance to the gadget. Do not put your phone to your ear when he and a brush set s . At this moment, the radiation is above everything. And when choosing a gadget, take an interest in the radiation level (SAR) – the lowest indicator will be the best.
Sexual dysfunction
It’s no secret that sexual dysfunction is directly related to how our endocrine and nervous systems work. It has been proven that a mobile device negatively affects the reproductive system of both men and women. Over three hundred men were examined by members of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Those who used mobile phones more actively than others (at least 4 hours a day) showed interesting indicators. Their sperm was of poorer quality than the rest of the subjects, and their sperm count was lower.
Bacteria
Another danger that lies in wait for smartphone users is bacteria. Did you know that more bacteria live on the body of your smartphone than in a public toilet? Researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK have found that the surface of the average smartphone is inhabited by quite dangerous organisms, ranging from ordinary E. coli to Staphylococcus aureus. Tests have shown that, on average, a mobile phone carries 18 times more bacteria than a public toilet flush handle. This is understandable, the toilets are washed and disinfected several times a day. When was the last time you wiped your smartphone?
