How would you survive without your smartphone? For many of us, it’s the gadget we’re most hooked on – looking at it hundreds of times a day. We depend on it to perform a multitude of tasks and to connect with our friends and family. But have we become addicted to our phones?

如果没有智能手机，你将如何生存？对于我们中的许多人来说，这是我们最着迷的小工具——每天查看它数百次。我们依靠它来执行大量任务并与我们的朋友和家人联系。但是我们对手机上瘾了吗？

Certainly, the inventor of the first mobile phone, American engineer Martin Cooper, thinks we might be. In a BBC interview, he suggested people should stop scrolling and “get a life”. But of course, once we start doom scrolling or watching videos, we just can’t kick the habit. Psychologist and author Jean Twenge says we’re all guilty of “compulsively checking [our] phone if [we’re] waiting for a text or getting really into social media then kind of, looking up and realising that an hour has passed.” There’s even a word – a phubber – to describe a person who ignores the real people around them because they are concentrating on their phones.

当然，第一部手机的发明者、美国工程师马丁库珀认为我们可能是。在接受 BBC 采访时，他建议人们应该停止滚动并“过上自己的生活”。但是，当然，一旦我们开始滚动末日或观看视频，我们就无法改掉这个习惯。心理学家兼作家让·特文格 (Jean Twenge) 说，我们都对“如果 [我们] 正在等待一条短信或真正进入社交媒体然后有点，抬头发现一个小时过去了，就强迫性地检查 [我们的] 手机”感到内疚。甚至有一个词——低头者——来形容一个人因为他们专注于手机而忽略了周围真实的人。

But does it matter if we make the most of this technology? Possibly, because like a drug, the problem arises when it is withdrawn. A study from King’s College London found young people they studied couldn’t control the amount of time they spend on their phone. Such addictive behaviour means that people become ‘panicky’ or ‘upset’ if they are denied constant access, which can cause anxiety and mental health issues.

但是，我们是否充分利用这项技术重要吗？可能是因为就像毒品一样，一旦停药就会出现问题。伦敦国王学院的一项研究发现，他们研究的年轻人无法控制他们花在手机上的时间。这种令人上瘾的行为意味着，如果人们无法持续访问，他们会变得“恐慌”或“不安”，这可能会导致焦虑和心理健康问题。

Interestingly, another study by the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests we don’t just look at our phones because we are prompted to by a text or email. The people they studied felt automatically urged to interact with their phone, just as a smoker would light a cigarette. Prof Saadi Lahlou, co-author of the study, told the BBC: “We must learn tricks to avoid the temptation when we want to concentrate or have good social relations.”

有趣的是，伦敦政治经济学院的另一项研究表明，我们不只是因为收到短信或电子邮件提示才看手机。他们研究的人感到自动被催促与他们的手机互动，就像吸烟者会点燃香烟一样。该研究的合著者萨迪·拉赫卢教授告诉 BBC：“当我们想要集中注意力或拥有良好的社会关系时，我们必须学会一些技巧来避免诱惑。”

One solution could be an app that rewards students for time spent away from their phones. Another option is converting your smartphone to a dumbphone that has none of the intoxicating distractions on it. But mainly, perhaps, we just need to look up more and reconnect with the real world!↳

一种解决方案是开发一款应用程序，奖励学生远离手机的时间。另一种选择是将您的智能手机变成一部没有任何令人陶醉的干扰的哑铃。但主要是，也许，我们只需要多看一眼，重新与现实世界联系起来！

词汇表

hooked 入迷的，上瘾的
depend on 需要，依赖
addicted 上瘾的，入迷的
get a life 做点有意思的事情
doom scrolling 阴暗刷屏
kick the habit 戒除恶习
compulsively 强迫地
phubber “低头族”，只顾看手机而忽视身边的人
withdraw 收回
addictive 使人上瘾的，使人入迷的
panicky 恐慌的
anxiety 焦虑
urge 冲动，强烈的欲望
temptation 引诱，诱惑
intoxicating 使人兴奋的