For the love of smartphones

Research shows that people often respond to the sound of their phones as they would to the sound of a girlfriend, boyfriend, or family member. Martin Lindstrom, based on this, would like to offer a correction to the prevailing wisdom on smartphones: we're not addicted to them; we love them. He explains:

Most striking of all was the flurry of activation in the insular cortex of the brain, which is associated with feelings of love and compassion. The subjects’ brains responded to the sound of their phones as they would respond to the presence or proximity of a girlfriend, boyfriend or family member. In short, the subjects didn’t demonstrate the classic brain-based signs of addiction. Instead, they loved their iPhones. As we embrace new technology that does everything but kiss us on the mouth, we risk cutting ourselves off from human interaction. For many, the iPhone has become a best friend, partner, lifeline, companion and, yes, even a Valentine.