In a study conducted by TeleNav, the navigation company asked over 500 people what they would rather give up for a week instead of their smartphone. A third of respondents would rather give up sex for seven days than go without a smartphone within reach and 70 percent of these people were female. Computers and shoes were more important to smartphone owners with about one in five people preferring to give those up for a week. More than 70 percent of people wouldn’t mind skipping alcohol for the full week. Chocolate came in at 63 percent, caffeine at 55 percent and exercise at 54 percent.
Between specific smartphones, iPhone users were the most dependent on their phones. Forty-three percent of iPhone users had no problem giving up shoes for a week to keep the iPhone in their pocket. In addition, 40 percent wouldn’t mind giving up their toothbrush. Ironically, 83 percent of iPhone users would rather have another iPhone owner as a romantic companion, despite any lack of oral hygiene from that missing toothbrush. Twenty-two percent of respondents declared that they wouldn’t mind being away from their significant other for a week rather than lose the smartphone. Between 10 and 18 percent of smartphone owners have even ended a relationship through the phone with an email, text, voice mail or update on a social network like Facebook or Twitter. When it comes to sleeping next to the smartphone, 66 percent of people kept it on the nightstand or in the bed.
About 20 percent of respondents would rather lose their purse or wallet than the smartphone and 31 percent routinely check the phone while in the movie theater. About half of iPhone and Android users have used smartphones to update a social network and around 20 percent have used it to “check-in” at a business. Android and BlackBerry owners are the most frugal as over 60 percent haven’t paid more than $1 for an app. iPhone users are twice as likely to have spent over $40 on apps compared to Android smartphone owners.
