JavaScript

This website requires the use of Javascript Explain This   to function correctly. Performance and usage will suffer if it remains disabled.
How to Enable Javascript
Where Is God’s Church Today?
Photo of a CongregationNew York, USA Photo of a CongregationJamaica Photo of a CongregationPeru Photo of a CongregationIdaho, USA Photo of a CongregationIndia Photo of a CongregationBelgium Photo of a CongregationKenya Photo of a CongregationArkansas, USA Photo of a CongregationSouth Africa Photo of a CongregationEngland Photo of a CongregationNigeria Photo of a CongregationOhio, USA

Jesus said, “I will build My Church…†There is a single organization that teaches the entire truth of the Bible, and is called to live by “every word of God.†Do you know how to find it? Christ said it would:

  • Teach “all things†He commanded
  • Have called out members set apart by truth
  • Be a “little flockâ€
Attend a Congregation
Science &Ttechnology

Put Down the Phone!

Feeling the need to check your cellphone for messages…again?

Addictions to texting and cellphones are akin to credit card misuse, compulsive buying and substance abuse, according to a study published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.

This particular form of addiction “is best thought of as a habitual drive or compulsion to continue a behavior even when it leads to negative events and consequences,†the study showed.

With such addictions, a user’s thoughts are dominated by the need to do a specific action, and one lacks the self-control necessary to refrain from it. For example, those who are addicted to using their cellphones or texting feel that these actions are vital to their happiness, and may experience feelings of irritability, frustration and panic when not able to do them.

A 2012 Pew Research study found that 67 percent of cellphone owners reported checking them regularly for calls and messages, even when they did not hear ringing or vibrating. Forty-four percent admitted to sleeping with their cellphones nearby, so as not to miss a call or text message. A cellphone was even described by 29 percent as “something they can’t imagine living without.â€

Yet cramping fingers from too much texting and empty wallets are not the only negative consequences of this addiction.

A study titled “Can you connect with me now?†in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that simply having a cellphone in the room can interfere with one’s ability to develop relationships, especially when discussing meaningful topics. The researchers suggested that seeing a cellphone may trigger thoughts of social networking in a person’s mind, which in turn overtakes the face-to-face conversation.

“These results indicate that mobile communication devices such as phones may, by their mere presence, paradoxically hold the potential to facilitate as well as to disrupt human bonding and intimacy,†the study stated.

Based on this research, overcoming one’s addiction to a cellphone by putting it away when interacting with others can increase development of trust, closeness, caring and connectedness—key ingredients of meaningful relationships.