Are You Addicted to Your Cell Phone?

- [Rhett] Are you addicted to your cell phone? Like. - [Link] What? Let's talk about that. - [Erica] Hi, I'm Erica from Saskatchewan, Canada. Good mythical morning. (upbeat music). - [Link] Good mythical morning. - [Rhett] Today's episode is brought you. by to Kotulas.com. The guys with the goods, goods, including the snow.

cone maker, you and your friends or your family. members can get together and enjoy snow cones. together. Like the old days Link. - [Link] There's no bonding like bonding over snow cones. Oh, okay. So now we're getting into touchy territory today. Sensitive subjects, cellular telephones. - [Rhett] Well, I call 'em cell phones or mobile phones. - [Link] Mobile Phones. - [Rhett] We're gonna talk about cell phone addiction today. - [Link] And they call 'em handsets now. - [Rhett] If we are addicted, if you're addicted. the first thing we're gonna do before we get going.

we're gonna play the cell phone stacking game. This is a game that you can play in a restaurant. with friends where you, everybody takes out your phone. You set it on the table face down in a big stack altogether. And the first person who actually accesses their. phone, grabs their phone. during the meal has to pay for everybody else's meal. Once the bill comes, then you could take your phone. but it's a way to have social engagement. with people that you're with. Not people that are on the internet. - [Link] Yeah. It's rude. - [Rhett] So we're symbolically representing that today.

We're gonna see resist all urges to touch your phone Link. And I will resist all urges. - [Link] Put it here so I can see it. - [Rhett] to touch my phone. - [Link] Okay. - [Rhett] You know we typically don't touch our. phones during the show, but. - [Link] But we could, now that they're here. it is very tempting, especially if we're addicts. which I think that's the question now, is there research? (both beeping). - [Rhett] Yes. There is some research now. I mean, people have been talking about cell phone addiction. for a while, but it is now being recognized. as a real condition. And of course in all places, California now has a center.

I think it's just an addiction center in general. but they've added cell phone addiction to one. of the vices that you can go and receive treatment for. at the center. So if you know, if we qualify. maybe we can go spend a week there. Me and you. - [Link] Hang out with some drug addicted celebrities. in like lounge chairs beside a pool. - [Rhett] Yeah. - [Link] That's kind of my image. of it but I don't want to denigrate rehab in anyway. - [Rhett] Okay. Well you probably just did. - [Link] Yep. I apologize for that. - [Rhett] So now it, it has basically been recognized.

as a condition. There are people who are addicted to their cell phones. and there's two aspects of this. I mean the first thing, and we had an opportunity to. experience this, to see if we apply. If this applies to us when we went camping. And that is nomophobia. No Mo as in no mobile, nomophobia. This is the fear of being without your cell phone. They actually did-. - [Link] The fear of being without your cell phone. Now I would say in general, I have signs of nomophobia.

because I have this habit. Like every time I stand up from a seated position. anywhere I'll go, (patting) I'll do, I'll pat. I'll make sure that I've got my phone because. - [Rhett] Totally normal. - [Link] Well, I mean, it may be a red flag of nomophobia. because I fear that the phone won't be there. because there's been a couple. of times when you get up and you know, but it's not there. And then you look back and it's just. it's just laying on the couch, like a dead fish on the edge of a polluted lake. It's like pathetic.

It's like, please come back and resuscitate me. by putting me in your pocket or putting me. up to your ear and breathing softly into the, oh. - [Rhett] That's quite a, - [Link] Picked up my phone. - [Rhett] You not only you lost the game. and you made a really weird analogy. - [Link] But I didn't use the phone. - [Rhett] Carrying on with it. - [Link] You can't touch the phone in the game? - [Rhett] No, I'm not gonna touch my phone. That's why it's over there. - [Link] Okay. So I owe you lunch unless you pick yours up later. - [Rhett] Okay. So they actually did a research with. some students up at Maryland University, University of Maryland.

And they took away their cell phones for, I think 24 hours. And of course the students were like. this was like the hardest experience of my life. I didn't know what I could do without having my cell phone. And, but I gotta tell you when we went camping. recently and we were out without our cell phones. except for that small window of time where I called. the locksmiths, - [Link] Right. - [Rhett] We were completely outta service when we were at. our campsites. And so basically two full days, I enjoyed it. immensely not having it there, knowing that I was. disconnected from anything that was happening.

on the internet. The only thing that was gave me a little scare. is the fact that I've got a wife and children. and my only connection with them when I'm. up in the mountains is this cell phone. And now I'm just like, well, what if something happens? Or what if Jesse needs me for something? So there was a little bit of that. But it was more about the connection that I lost with them. And it was less about not being connected to the internet. So I don't, - [Link] But you still use it. You still used your phone. You used it to take pictures. - [Rhett] I did. - [Link] You used it to tell time. - [Rhett] No, I used the sun. - [Link] No you didn't. - [Rhett] I used the sun and like a cloud.

of dust to tell time. - [Link] I used it, I used it as an alarm too. So I mean, it, we were still addicted to the cell phone. - [Rhett] We were still using it. We were still dependent on it in some way, but I don't think I experienced symptoms of addiction. But I'm about to tell you that. I believe that I am addicted to my cell phone. for another completely different reason than nomophobia. And that is what is my routine? And my routine is, and I did it again this morning. First of all, when I go to bed, I go to bed.

with my cell phone in my hand, and I'm usually doing a couple things. I'm checking the news. I'm always checking the news. You know, I'm addicted to the news, just like, I go to Newser, that site where it just has all the, it's an aggregator of all the different news stories. I'm like, did something new happen that I need to know. about so I can do, what am I gonna do? I'm in bed, you know? And then I like check Twitter or Facebook and you know. maybe look at a couple of YouTube comments. And then I just put the phone down next to my bed because.

- [Link] I was wondering if like. if every morning you wake up, like the phone's on your face. - [Rhett] No, I put it down. - [Link] And then you just pick it up and keep using it, because that's an addict. - [Rhett] Right? I still think I am addicted, but it's not that bad. - [Link] If you wake up. with the phone on your face, you know, - [Rhett] You touched your phone again. Now you owe me lunch tomorrow. - [Link] No, no, no, no, no. I'm using it as a. - [Rhett] visual aid? - [Link] a visual aid man there's an exclusion to that. - [Rhett] We didn't specify that. I feel like you owe me lunch tomorrow. - [Link] Well, if you wake up like this, - [Rhett] And the next day. - [Link] Then you have a problem.

That's all I'm saying. - [Rhett] Three days in a row. - [Link] You have a problem. - [Rhett] Don't touch again. - [Link] You put it beside your bed. - [Rhett] I put it under my bed, basically, 'cause I don't have a bedside table. I'm up against the wall on that side of the bed. So then every morning I wake up, usually not via alarm, but via the alarms that are my children. and I reach down. And it's almost is definitely habitual. I thought about it to this morning 'cause I knew we. were gonna be talking about this. And I was like, man, I feel myself. I'm reaching down there. I grab it. I pick it up, check the news. Oh what am I gonna do? Am I gonna, if something happen, I. - [Link] It's like your coffee?

- [Rhett] News. Look at, you know, look at comments on YouTube videos. Do do I, I, I had this little routine. I go through like four or five little apps. And then I feel like I'm like, is there another app? It's and there's this, this feeling. of emptiness in no accom, I haven't accomplished anything. I haven't changed anything. I've just observed some stuff. and gone through this little routine. And I think I'm addicted to my cell phone. I do it at mor, I do it morning and night. And then of course throughout the day I'm checking it. Which is a problem. - [Link] Well, I mean the problem is we,

we wanna make sure that that this the episode's gone up. So it's like, I'll check my phone. in the morning because it's the first way to. make sure there's there hasn't been a problem. with the episode, which there was last week, you know? So it's, it's almost justified. but you can justify any form of addiction. I think for me, the red flag is the bathroom. using the restroom has turned into. I use the bathroom just so I can use my phone. - [Rhett] Hold on you don't, - [Link] That's a red flag. - [Rhett] You don't wipe with this to you. Cause that's, I mean there's, there's not. - [Link] An app.

There's not an app for that. Yeah. That's that's that is quite a humorous little. little idea there though. We could, we could use that. Yeah. I mean what, when you have. when you have kids, sometimes you gotta. you gotta lock the door and you know, say that. you're doing number two in order to do number three. Just right here. This is number three. - [Rhett] Don't pick it up. - [Link] I'm calling number three is when you're sitting. on the toilet, just so that you can be on your phone. - [Rhett] When I was in elementary school, number three was vomiting. - [Link] Oh. - [Rhett] So I think number four should be good. Being on the phone.

- [Link] No vomit has been moved to number four. because of this type of cell phone addiction. - [Rhett] Okay. - [Link] And then the other red flag for me is any downtime. especially on the weekend where like, you know, I might be. with the family running errands or something and like. Christy's like, Hey, I need to run into the grocery store. It's easier to not unpack three kids from the minivan. So I'll just sit in the van and it's like, boom, put it. in park before she's gotten out of the car to go. into the Trader Joe's whoop I'm on the phone.

I'm I'm doing stuff. I'm seeing what's happening. I'm communicating with Mythical beast and whatnot. And it's just sad. - [Rhett] It is well. - [Link] it's, it's sad. You know, I've got three kids back there. I turn around and look at 'em and you know what? They look like. They look like dead fish on the shore of a polluted pond. Just waiting for me to resuscitate them really. with the life giving breath of a father's love. But look at me. look at me just on just, just, - [Rhett] Hey dad, shut up kids. I'm on Twitter.

- [Link] My kids will knock on the door. to the bathroom and say, get off your phone. That's bad. - [Link] Wow. That is bad. - [Rhett] You know what kinda hit it kinda hit me. The phone is. - [Link] I'm doing number two! I promise. - [Rhett] It's like an adult. - [Link] Come In. If you don't believe me! - [Rhett] It's like an adult. - [Link] No they don't do that. - [Rhett] It's like an adult Teddy bear or blankie. You know what I'm saying? I, I. - [Link] I find demonstrate it on your phone, please. - [Rhett] Don't start acting like a baby. I'm not, that's not what I want. - [Link] I want you to demonstrate it on your phone. - [Rhett] I'm not, I'm just telling you. - [Link] Pick up your phone and demonstrate it.

- [Rhett] I'm not touching it. It's you know, like sometimes you'll be like. I'll be at the mall and my wife goes. into a store that I don't want to go into. Yeah. And, and I'm just sitting outta the way and, and now. now I'm just a dude. Who's like standing in the mall. I don't wanna be a dude. Who's standing in the mall. I wanna be a dude. Who's standing in the mall looking at his phone. You know what I'm saying? So it's like my Teddy bear, you know. it might as well be a Teddy bear. - [Link] You're blankie. They should have outside of like all those candle stores. and stuff where like the smell of women comes out. of the store. They should have little mounts out there where you can just.

walk up and guys can just walk up and just put their phone. into it. And then it just ha you know, you stare it like that. And you don't even have to use your arm strength. And it'd just be men lined up. Like, it's like, of course, then you need to. touch it like this. - [Rhett] I would think that would keep people. from going into the store. but also make people think it was a phone store. - [Link] Be like, it's like a cell phone trough. in the middle of the mall. I bet that that's an idea for a kiosk. The cell phone trough. - [Rhett] You run with that. - [Link] Put your cell phone in there. If you're a man waiting for your wife.

or your girlfriend to come out of those smelly stores. and you're just your phone would be up here. and maybe somebody would be massaging your back. And then there'd be like a football game on a bigger screen. Right on the other side of your, of your phone. I bet a lot of men would pay for this. - [Rhett] I would, I would just stand there and do this just. - [Link] To the right of the screen will be one. of those paintings that if you stare at it for long enough. it'll like turn into a dinosaur. - [Rhett] I think the question is, what are, what are you? What's the application? What is the application?

Because for me, I'm taking immediate application. I am not going to have my phone. I'm not gonna touch it, first thing in the morning. In fact, I'm gonna put it somewhere where I can't just. you just ruined two iPhones. Okay? - [Link] I thought you were gonna touch it. I thought you were gonna try to catch it. - [Rhett] I am not going to touch my phone in the morning. I'm gonna keep it somewhere where I have to go. through some other kind of routine. Like at least brush my teeth or something. Before I access my phone. You owe me lunch for five days in a row now. - [Link] I just wanna make sure I didn't hurt it.

It's got a nice case. - [Rhett] Well, what is your application gonna be? I, I don't, you know what? Here's what you shouldn't do. You shouldn't do, - [Link] I don't have a problem. - [Rhett] No, for a week. - [Link] There's no application, - [Rhett] for a week, you should not be able. to take your phone into a bathroom for one week. For one week. I'm gonna keep my phone out of my bedroom. And for one week. you're gonna keep your phone out of the bathroom. Okay? Quit touching it. - [Link] It'll probably be cleaner. - [Rhett] Gosh, that's you owe me lunch. - [Link] I didn't turn it on, just repositioning. - [Rhett] six days in a row. I'm gonna go to good places.

- [Link] All right. Pro wrestler rant, Listen, brother. If you have a cellular telephone on your person right now. I'm gonna rip you from limb to limb. - [Rhett] Ooh. Yeah. - [Link] You're addicted to us. - [Rhett] Listen out there, everybody this. is a real problem. You've got a problem and we are here to solve it. - [Link] Yeah. - [Rhett] It's called cell phone addiction, brother. - [Link] I'm gonna take your ears. and I'm gonna wrap around a cell phone. - [Rhett] Take it seriously because this is a problem.

- [Link] I'm gonna throw your phone. in the air and you better catch it. - [Rhett] Quit touching it. - [Link] Well why don't you catch your phone, man? - [Rhett] Because I'm not. Don't owe you lunch. (upbeat music).