Smartphone Addiction Found To Physically Alter Our Brains

Most of us these days have smartphones. These are incredible devices that allow us to do more than make phone calls. We can surf the web, play games, draw, record high-quality videos and photos, and more. With that, it’s not surprising that there are some who spend more time on their phones compared to others.

However, it seems that maybe we should consider putting our phones down every now and then. This is because according to a recent study, researchers have used MRI machines and found that those who have been classified as having a smartphone addiction were found to have physically altered brains similar to what doctors see in drug addicts.

The test was conducted on 48 people, 22 of whom were categorized as having smartphone addiction. According to the researchers from Heidelberg University, “Given their widespread use and increasing popularity, the present study questions the harmlessness of smartphones, at least in individuals that may be at increased risk for developing smartphone-related addictive behaviors.”

Smartphone addiction isn’t new nor is it unheard of, but these findings are indeed worrisome. To that end, companies such as Apple and Google have introduced features to their phones and operating systems meant to help reduce the time that users spend on them.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, General
Tags: Health, Science