How to Tell If You Are Addicted to Technology

Most people check their e-mail in the morning, text throughout the day and multitask with several different electronic devices. Straying from a specific purpose in order to read the news or check sports scores is counterproductive but not necessarily a sign of addiction. Technology becomes an addiction when it no longer aids your life but interferes with it instead. There are several questions that you can ask yourself in order to help determine whether or not your use of technology has become an addiction.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider your social life. Ask yourself if you've been seeking isolation and avoiding social encounters so that no one will interrupt your technology use.

• 2

  Think about your sleep schedule. Ask yourself whether the excessive use of technology has kept you awake late into the night, reduced the overall amount of sleep you get at night and lowered your productivity at work or school due to fatigue.

• 3

  Check your body for symptoms of the poor habits associated with excessive technology use. Does pain in your wrist interfere with typing? Have you eaten more junk food and gained weight as a result? Have you noticed pain in your back?

• 4

  Attempt to concentrate on one task for an extended period of time. Think about whether the urge to use a computer or cellphone interferes with your ability to perform this task.

• 5

  Experiment with eliminating technology from your life. Do you recognize any traditional withdrawal symptoms -- anxiety, headaches, tremors or lack of sleep -- resulting from this experiment?