Finding a teenager these days without a cell phone is rare. In fact, it’s not just teenagers…my seven-year old granddaughter last week became the proud recipient of her very own cell phone, much to my dismay. And while I’m certainly not in position to reverse that decision, it has caused me to be alert to any studies or guidance sources that, as a concerned grandparent, I can use to make some constructive suggestions to her that, hopefully, won’t make me look like an interfering disciplinarian. So, being on alert, I was intrigued by an article  posted on a website I review frequently (www.awakeningfromalzheimers.com) titled “A Surprising Reason Why Smartphones Are Making Us Stupid.” Catchy, huh?

Let me preface my comments on the article by a full disclosure statement: I do not like cell phones! I won’t say I hate them, because I do see some instances where they come in handy, like emergencies and text messages when I’m shopping and can’t recall what I was told to get at the grocery store, and so on. But the still-poor quality of the calls, the fact that using one in broad daylight is still generally a problem, the tripping over the person on the other end of the call, the lack of coverage in remote areas, the drop calls–you name it, continue to fuel my dislike for this technology. But like most, I’ve surrendered to the necessity of having one.

My personal feelings aside, the article I read gave me some interesting and important conclusions that I can pass on to my granddaughter and hopefully ward off some of the long-term negative consequences of cell phone usage. This specific article references the relationship between body posture and cell phone usage and the research conclusions that this relationship can affect the way the mind works. With the customary reflex of slouching that “the new ‘tech-neck’ generation” seems to succumb to while using a cell phone (or tablet or any other hand-held device, for that matter) becoming the norm, research has revealed that there may be a direct correlation between posture, how the brain functions, and how memory and recall work.

The article goes into some of the tried-and-true approaches to improving posture and how they can help lessen the negative impacts of prolonged cell phone usage. In fact, the suggestions are good, basic ideas for general physical well-being. I’ll get off my soap box now, and suggest that you might want to take a look at this article. You can access it here…

Photo credit: © Antonio Guillem | Dreamstime.com

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