Just Like Compulsive Buying, Materialism Drives Cell-Phone Addiction
Materialism and impulsiveness is what makes some people addicted to their cell-phones, just like it makes people addicted to shopping or running up credit card bills even when they don't have the money to pay, a new study has found.
"Cell phones are a part of our consumer culture. They are not just a consumer tool, but are used as a status symbol. They're also eroding our personal relationships," said James Roberts, Ph.D., professor of marketing and the Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business and lead author of the study.
Previous research on cell-phone use among college-goers had found that these people send about 110 texts a day and receive about 113 texts a day, checking their phones 60 times in a typical day, according to a statement from Baylor University. Researchers say that this behavior isn't just a passing-fad, but shows signs of a larger behavioral problem.
"At first glance, one might have the tendency to dismiss such aberrant cell phone use as merely youthful nonsense - a passing fad. But an emerging body of literature has given increasing credence to cell phone addiction and similar behavioral addictions," Roberts said.
The data for the study came from self-report surveys of 191 business students at two U.S. universities. 90 percent of the college-students used a cell-phone. Researchers found that cell-phone use acts as a pacifier to the impulsiveness of the users.
The study is published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.