The Latest Health Enemy? It's Not What You Think
In the last week, there's been a ton of news about texting and health. You'd think it was the next H1N1 or something. While it's not exactly a pandemic, we're using texting to excess (see shocking stats below) and in ways never intended. And that's leading to no-good-very-bad things like...
...sending way 2 many txts! As I was heading to happy hour last week (and, ironically, texting a friend to tell her I was running a bit late), I saw a press release from Pew Research that said that, among teens, texting is now the most popular form of communication--overtaking phone convos for the first time. Half of teens send more than 50 texts a day--a whopping 1500 a month. About a third send more than 3,000 a month!
Ok, I'm no psychologist, but that seems a little nutso from interpersonal/emotional standpoint. So much can be misinterpreted over a text. And I can't imagine replacing all the loooooong calls I had with friends in high school. I feel like I'm more emotionally attached to them still because of all those calls and in-person chats.SOLUTION: Set character and content limits. For me, anything longer than 50 characters should be a phone call or, at the very least, an email. And bad news--of any magnitude (break-ups included!)--is never EVER delivered via text.
...lol-ing your thumbs to death Yesterday, a friend's mom forwarded me an email about how the repetitive stress from texting can cause numbness and pain in the thumb and joints of the hand. Essentially, every pound of pressure you put on the tip of your thumb is magnified at the base, which can screw up alignment all the way up to your neck.
SOLUTION: At the end of the day, take three minutes to try this pilates move, which de-cramps your over-texted hands.
...txting n driving:Oprah's piece in yesterday's New York Times nails the dangers of texting and driving. She points out that more than 6,000 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2008--and that number is climbing. Last year, Car and Driver magazine compared the breaking reaction time of someone who was over the legal blood-alcohol limit (4 feet) versus someone sending a text (70 feet). Yikes.
SOLUTION: Get a bluetooth headset and set up voice-activated dialing on your phone because dialing and holding up a phone to your ear are just as stupid as texting while at the wheel. My favorite Bluetooth headset is the Jawbone Icon ($99), as sleek and non-dorky as they come. If you gotta text, either A) pullover or B) sign up for a voice-to-text program such as Jott.
--Jenny Everett
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