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Your smartphone may be negatively impacting your life.
- The smartphone has changed our lives for the better in some ways, but it definitely has its drawbacks, too.
- For instance, some research has found that smartphone use may contribute to sleep issues and depression.
- Below, a clinical psychologist weighs in about the negative impacts smartphones can have on our lives.
Your smartphone may help you stay in touch with family and friends worldwide, meet dating and marriage partners, and direct you when we're lost, but there are also downsides. Yes, there are ways your smartphone is making your life worse.
Of course, one primary downside of them is their addictive nature. A few years ago, I became so addicted to texting that I decided to give it up - first for Lent, then forever. I made it my mission to call people if I wanted to speak to them or, better yet, to make plans to see them in real life.
I soon learned the value of a natural back-and-forth conversation on the phone, and that nothing could replace face-to-face communication.
Dr. Suzana E. Flores, clinical psychologist and author of "Facehooked: How Facebook Affects Our Emotions, Relationships, and Lives," agrees that smartphones are useful in numerous ways, but can also cause friction in our lives.
"Of course, there's the addiction aspect - they're always within arm's reach," she told Business Insider. "We should continue to enjoy our digital connections, but second only to our offline realities. Just as with anything else, too much of a good thing may not be a good thing after all."
Here are 12 ways, from an expert, that smartphones could be making your life worse.