Unfortunate Study Finds 1 in 10 People Check Their Phones During Sex

Checking your phone during sex? You're not alone.

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Have you ever checked the 'gram right in the middle of a love-making session to see if your latest photo was still bricking? You're not alone. A new study has found that the number of people who admit to checking their phones during sex is indeed a number higher than zero, a troubling development for anyone who actually uses phrases like "love-making session."

"Less than 10 years ago, Steve Jobs promised that smartphones 'will change everything,'" Kostadin Kushlev, a psychology research scientist at the University of Virginia, said when announcing the findings. "And with the Internet in their pockets, people today are bombarded with notifications—whether from email, text messaging, social media or news apps—anywhere they go. We are seeking to better understand how this constant inflow of notifications influences our minds."

Our minds are definitely feeling the effects. Not only do 95 percent of smartphone users readily confess to using their respective devices at social gatherings, one in 10 of them admit to checking their phones right in the middle of sex. Given the fact that this sounds like something that would be really great to just straight up lie about, we can safely (and sadly) assume that the actual number is even higher. Think of it this way: If you're currently standing near nine or so people, at least one of you just might be a mid-sex phone checker.

Kushlev led fellow researchers Elizabeth W. Dunn, a psychology professor, and Jason Proulx, a senior research assistant, at the University of British Columbia on a quest to get to the bottom of smartphones' impact on ADHD-like symptoms in frequent users. Thanks to the willing participation of 221 university students, Kushlev's team was able to spot "significantly higher levels"  of hyperactivity and inattention in those who regularly checked their phones.

Surprisingly, the results also suggested that ADHD-like symptoms could potentially develop in those not formally diagnosed with the disorder. The biggest bummer, however, is the sex. What the hell are we doing checking our phones during what should be peak pleasure time?

"The findings simply suggest that our constant digital stimulation may be contributing to an increasingly problematic deficit of attention in modern society," Kushlev said. To curb the problem, Kushlev suggests, simply take some time each day to give the love affair you have with your phone a rest.

One way to pass this phone-free block of time? Maybe just ponder all the other baffling things people manage to do during sex, namely:

  • Coughing, sneezing, and/or any variation therein
  • Talking too much
  • Not talking enough
  • Screaming out obscure SpongeBob SquarePants references

That last one is totally real. Just Google it using your—dammit!

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