Smartphones are much more than a way to make a phone call. Basically portable computers and internet connections, they're a 24/7 conduit to entertainment, social media and quick communication for work or play.
If I did a self-inventory of my smartphone habits, I'd be among those who should probably disconnect more often — and there are a lot of us.
It's not that the phone itself is bad. It's how, when and what we use it for that determines whether we're an on-the-go, dialed-in citizen of the modern world or a slave to our compulsions, nicely bundled for quick access in a device we can take anywhere. And increasingly, smartphone use — or more accurately, overuse — is associated with anxiety, depression and addiction.
In research published earlier this month that studied university students over a two-month period in 2013, medical doctors in Korea found that "smartphone dependency was significantly related to anxiety, the most prevalent mental disease, in both men and women."
The study measured obsession, withdrawal, reliance and disturbances in daily life (like poor sleep or ignoring your dinner date). Along with 25 other questions, participants were asked, "How often do you fear that life without your smartphone would be boring, empty, and joyless?" and, "How often do you lose sleep due to late-night use of a smartphone?"
These two points in particular hit home for me, because the arguments and nagging over smartphone access and use in my own home seem nonstop.
Every child, from the almost 3-year-old, who can already navigate iPhones and tablets, to the fourth-, fifth- and ninth-graders and our two college students, can never seem to get enough. I myself am guilty of playing Words with Friends at 2 a.m. and checking emails at similarly ridiculous times of day.
I'm good at keeping the kids in check; not so good at keeping myself in check.
The study out of Korea found that the more time a person spends on their smartphone, the more likely they are to suffer from anxiety, and that women are more at risk for the disorder than men.
In the United States alone, 40 million adults are estimated to suffer from anxiety, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. People with anxiety tend to see the doctor more, and make up about one-third, or $42 billion, of the nation's $148 billion annual mental health care costs.
In a July 2013 article for Psychology Today, Psychiatrist Dale Archer referred to this smartphone-related stress as nomophobia, "as in no- mo(bile) phone-phobia — that rush of anxiety and fear when you realize you are disconnected — out of the loop with friends, family, work and the world." According to Archer, it affects 40 percent of the population.
The Korean study showed 20 percent of women and 9 percent of men suffered from abnormal anxiety levels associated with their phone habits. Women tended to use their phones more for social networking and communication, while men were more focused on showing off technology or entertainment media.
Yet smartphones also have the potential to play a big role in promoting better health and wellness.
Two apps, PTSD Coach, developed in connection with the military, and Catch It, a cognitive behavioral therapy smartphone app, have shown promise, as noted by the online technology publication Gizmag. Researchers at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester, who helped design the latter app, found "statistically significant reductions in negative mood intensity and increases in positive mood intensity."
Smartphones and the increasing availability of cellular phones worldwide is also extending the reach of medicine. Harvard University's School of Public Health has used mobile health, known as mHealth, for everything from predicting cholera and malaria outbreaks, to helping rural nurses alert blood banks of blood shortages and allowing relief workers to better assess and address the needs of war survivors.
Ultimately, whether smartphones hurt us or help us hinges on how we use them.
A study from the University of Illinois published in January of this year found that "using devices to alleviate boredom is not associated with anxiety and depression," but that "using devices for emotional coping" is.
If you feel anxious without your phone, check it constantly, experience "phantom" rings or vibrations — times when you think you're getting a call or text but really are not — tune out your friends and family, let smartphone use affect school performance, or return home to retrieve your phone if you've left it behind while heading out to run a quick errand, it's probably time to wean yourself from it, according to Archer's signs and symptoms of "Smartphone Addiction."
I was a late adopter to smartphones. When I did eventually get on board with the technology, it drove me nuts. I always thought it was vibrating, signaling I'd missed something. It's been years since I've experienced phantom sensations, but the phone has taken over in other ways.
It's time for me to be smart about my smartphone. One really can have too much of a good thing.
Jill Burke is a longtime Alaska journalist writing from the center of a busy family life. Her father swore by "Burke's Law No. 1 — never take no for an answer." Meaning, don't give up in the face of adversity. The lesson stuck. Share your ideas with her at jill@alaskadispatch.com, on Facebook or on Twitter.
The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com.