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Here's my test for phone addiction (for men): If you are pissing into a urinal and need to look at your phone during those 15 seconds, you have a problem. And I see this a lot.

A scary game: when in stop and go traffic, have a look at the person behind you. Are their eyes on the road, or their lap? In my experience, 7 out of 10 are looking at their lap, with a quick glance up every 5 seconds or so.

I spend plenty of time on my phone, but geez, have some phone free moments every now and then.



I don't think your test is all that good. If I'm out with friends, I try to consciously avoid using my phone when we're together so that I'm present and so that they know I value their presence. Those 15 seconds at the urinal are often the best time to check notifications before getting back to phone-free socializing.

Agree with your other points though.


Might just be me, but I don't think it's appropriate to pull a camera out at the urinal


Hmm, I've never heard anyone hold this viewpoint in person and I've certainly used my phone at the urinal (and seen countless others do the same) enough times that I think it'd have come up.

I don't mean to say it's not a valid concern, I just think that it can be done in a way which makes it clear that one is not doing anything weird.


It's more appropriate to compare the photos rather than the actual things.


Why do notifications need to be checked?


To see if any are important enough to require action?


Because that’s part of the whole “notification” process. I don’t think it is enforced by the OS, but if a notification didn’t need to be checked, maybe it didn’t need to be a notification?

Or perhaps I have misunderstood you, and instead you’re one of those types that thinks people need to answer to you for the things they do. In that case, I have no help for you.


Server might be down. Spam might've been posted to a site of mine. Might've missed an important call.

I don't whip out my phone at the urinal, but I'd check it on my way to or from the bathroom rather than while spending time with friends.


The people who give me money might have some work for me to do. Welcome to the gig economy.


If someone pulled a camera phone out anywhere near me at a urinal, they would probably get punched.


Exactly what I do, cutting back on smoking means peeing is the only chance I get to actually answer people.


I'm one of those people but for the opposite reason. If I'm with someone I don't look at my phone at all. When I step away to use the restroom it's my chance to check for any missed notifications.


A couple of years ago I was in stop-and-go traffic, and while at a stop, I watched in my rear view as the woman in a minivan behind me slowly rolled into my bumper while looking at her lap. We pulled over to see if there was damage, and she had the nerve to claim that someone had rear-ended her, pushing her van into my bumper, then they sped off. Even if I hadn't witnessed what really happened, the freeway was at a stand still, nobody was speeding off anywhere.


I mean ok. I do this to check (at the urinal) my messages because i don't look at my phone when out with friends.


I just assume someone with a water sports fetish is about to get a dick pic.


I do the former, but not the latter.

Turns out, one of them is dangerous.


But why? When I see people doing this I figure they have zero self control. How had is it to put the phone away for 30 seconds?




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