According to a 2018 study from San Francisco State University, nearly 2. 4 billion people around the world used a smartphone in 2017. By the end of 2019, more than a third of the global population will be using a smartphone.

   However, smartphone technology can be a double-edged sword.On the one hand, it sends us unlimited amounts of information. On the other hand, using a smartphone may become an addiction.

    Erik Peper and Richard Harvey are both health education professors at San Francisco State university. They led the study. Peper explains that smartphone addiction forms connections in the brain that are similar to drug addiction.

    And these connections form slowly over time. Also, addiction to social media may affect our emotional state. The two professors asked 135 university students about their habit of smartphone use and their feelings. They found that students who used their phones the most reported higher levels of feeling lonely, depressed and anxious.

    Peper and Harvey do not blame users for their technology addiction. They believe it is the tech industry's desire to make more money that is to blame for the technology addiction. The researchers warm that workers in the technology industry know how to control our brains and turn us into addicts.

    But the researchers say that we can limit our brains to be less addicted to our phones and computers. Enk Peper suggests timing off our phones before we sleep or do something important. The researchers also suggest taking control of when and where you answer texts or emails. You do not need to answer them all. And you certainly don't need to answer them as soon as you get them. They also suggest putting limits on the time you spend on social media. If you want to catch up with friends on Facebook, set aside a small amount of time to it. You should focus on important tasks and do not allow technology to disturb you.