Study Probes the Depths of Cell Phone Attachment, Proves We May Have a Problem

No sex, no shoes, no problem? Maybe if you are as attached to your cellphone as one new study would suggest. A new study, commissioned by communications company TeleNav, says that our society is obsessed with cellphones. The study sought an answer to the question: Exactly what would people give up before their cell phone? The answer is a surprising amount of life’s pleasures (and essentials).

The results show there are differences between the different types of smartphone and between genders, but overall, people were willing to go to great lengths to keep their phone in the palm of their hand. A third of all people surveyed were willing to give up sex for a week rather than go without their cellphone (although, 70 percent of these people were women). Another 70 percent said they would give up alcohol, 63 percent were willing to forego chocolate, and 55 percent of people were willing to go without caffeine rather than have no access to their cell phone. However, there were some limits to how far people would take their cellphone separation anxiety.

Only one in five people were willing to go without shoes rather than lose their cellphone, but that is still 21% of people surveyed who would rather walk down the street barefoot than not be able to text. There was an interesting difference in who was willing to go barefoot based on the type of phone owned. Among iPhone owners, 43 percent were willing to go barefoot, while only 27 percent of Android users and 25 percent of BlackBerry owners were willing to relinquish their shoes.

Perhaps the most telling of the survey responses was that 22 percent of people said they would be willing to go a week without seeing their significant other rather than go without their phone. Who needs a girlfriend when you have a smartphone? Not so sure about that one — if you can go without personal relationships because of your phone, it might be time to put the technology down and back away slowly. Check out the infographic below for more details about the study’s findings.

(via All Things D)