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Use Of Handheld Phones And Tablets

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There is increasing evidence that handheld electronic devices such as smart phones and tablets can become so compelling that many people find themselves checking them or staring at them so often that it causes relationship strain, poor judgement behind the wheel, lost productivity at work and school, and lost sleep. All of these issues can and will increase stress for individuals and families. However, there appears to be more to it. Twenty years ago, you did not see people becoming frantic about the moment-to-moment availability of their desktop computers, or even their flip phones. We did not expect to be able to communicate with our friends or family members at will, and we usually could cope easily while waiting with a stack of out-dated magazines at our quick-stop oil change garage or doctor 's office. Not any more. Tablets and phones enable us to track our friends with GPS, play games that provide us with rapid, flashy visual rewards, and send photos and messages instantly, often expecting an instant response. So what has been lost? For one thing, our ability to self-soothe has been compromised. Before the advent of this technology, if our oil change took a little longer than we had planned, or our doctor 's office schedule was a little backed up, we could read, engage in light conversation with strangers, look at scenery, or just calmly become lost in our thoughts. These are skills that take some time to emerge as we grow and interact with the world around us. I

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