Of the 7 billion people on Earth, roughly 6 billion own a cellphone, which is pretty shocking, given that only 4.5 billion have access to a working toilet.
So how are these popular gadgets changing your body and brain?
If you're looking down at your phone right now, your spine angle is equivalent to that of an 8-year-old child sitting on your neck, which is fairly significant considering people spend an average of 4.7 hours a day looking at their phone.
This, combined with the length of time spent in front of computers has led to an increase in the prevalence of myopia or nearsightedness in North America.
In the 1970s about 1/4 of the population had myopia, where today nearly half do; and in some parts of Asia, 80-90% of the population is now nearsighted.
And it can be hard to put your phone down, take for example the game Candy Crush.
As you play the game, you achieve small goals causing your brain to be rewarded with little bursts of dopamine, and eventually, you are rewarded the game with new content.
This novelty also gives little bursts of dopamine, and together create what is known as a "compulsion loop", which just happens to be the same loop responsible for the behaviors associated with nicotine or cocaine.
Our brains are hard-wired to make us novelty seeking, and this is why apps on our phones are designed to constantly provide us with new content, making them hard to put down.
As a result, 93% of young people aged 18-29 report using their smartphones as a tool to avoid boredom, as opposed to other activities such as reading books or engaging with people around them.
