The New STD - Socially Transmitted Disease

'Cellularitis: A Socially Transmitted Disease (STD) that results in habitual use of one’s cell- phone to the detriment of his or her psychological and physical health and well-being.

I call it cellularitis. Like the common cold, it spreads from human to human. But, unlike Nasopharyngitis (the common cold), no one must sneeze on you to catch cellularitis. And, this STD (Socially Transmitted Disease) is highly contagious. The simple act of being near someone using their smart phone causes us to search for solace in our own cellular pacifier.

Like anthropologists who study primates in their natural setting, two intrepid University of Michigan researchers studied the cell-phone habits of the possibly wildest primate of them all—teens and young adults. The pair positioned themselves near restaurants and coffee shops in and around the University of Michigan campus. Over four months they observed the communication rituals of teens and young adults as they ate lunch or sipped their espresso. They recorded cell-phone use in 10-second increments in these “public dyads” (two people in public) for up to 20 minutes. What they found was that people were twice as likely to pull out their cell-phone if their companion did so. And, here’s the big finish, women were more likely than men to do so whether talking to other women or men.'

You can read more here.