Study: iPhone anxiety affects brain performance

A new study out by the University of Missouri suggests the separation anxiety you feel when you do not have your iPhone near you might be impacting your cognitive abilities. Researchers found that iPhone users tasked with solving a series of puzzles did better when they had their phones with them.  When those same participants were separated from the their iPhones,  they experienced an elevated heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety. 

The study's author says that \"iPhones are capable of becoming an extension of our selves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of 'self' and negative physiological state.\"

The study was published in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.