UNDATED – A study by GearHungry.com showed the average Hoosier could only last 1.5 days without their cell phone. The national average was 1.6 days. North Dakota residents said being without their cell phone would be utter torture; they would only be able to keep this madness up for half a day at the most.
In contrast, residents of Maine said they would welcome the break, saying they could do without their cellphone for an impressive 3.9 days.
Since the very first cellphone call was made in 1973, these slim, glossy, rectangular objects have become one of the most important things in our lives. But just how important?
GearHungry.com, the leading resource for reviews in men’s gear, gadgets and gifts, surveyed 3,400 Americans in order to find out.
They found device usage increased by a third or 34 percent since the start of the COVID -19 pandemic. Twenty-eight percent said they have constant access to technology during the pandemic and has made their pre-existing anxiety about the virus worse.
However, a not-so-romantic 47 percent of those in relationships admit that their cell is the first thing they look at in the morning, before even speaking to their partner. Perhaps, as a result, almost 1 in 5 or 18 percent say their partner’s phone usage has caused arguments.
It also seems like increased cellphone use is in danger of affecting our mental health; 29 percent say they often find themselves aimlessly opening and scrolling through apps every few minutes, despite knowing nothing has changed, while more than 1 in 4, or 28 percent, say that having constant access to tech during the pandemic has made their pre-existing anxiety about the virus worse – perhaps that’s no real surprise when over 1 in 10 say they’re checking for the latest COVID-19 updates twice a day, and 8 percent have even experienced ‘Ringxiety’ (phantom ringing/vibration syndrome) during lockdown – the sensation where you’re convinced your phone is going off, but it isn’t.
Thankfully, well over half or 61 percent say that they’ll be happy to go back to, or focus more on, non-tech-related activities when the pandemic has passed, like going outside and meeting up with other people.
‘It sounds like we’re taking our cellphones a bit too much for granted,’ says Seiji Ishii, Editor in Chief at GearHungry.com. ‘While this is fairly understandable due to the fact there aren’t many other distractions during a lockdown, it’s good to see that people will put their cellphone use into perspective a bit more when they’re allowed to go out and do things again.’
See how each state compares with this interactive cellphone.
